Jack Draper reveals his mental rollercoaster after beating Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells semifinal

Jack Draper had knocked out Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semifinals before lifting the biggest title of his career.

Jack Draper reveals his mental rollercoaster after beating Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells semifinal

Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper (Image via ATP/X)

Overcoming World No.3 Carlos Alacarz is itself an incredible achievement and Jack Draper too dealt with various emotions after denying him a chance to complete a three-peat at Indian Wells. But Draper didn’t let those emotions get the better of him when he entered the tournament final on Sunday (March 16) to face Holger Rune.

It took Draper an hour and nine minutes to outclass the Dane, who was searching for his first title since the 2023 BMW Open. With a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, Draper clinched his third and biggest title of his career. Following his victory, Draper talked in length about how he navigated an emotional rollercoaster before lifting his first title in the California desert.

YouTube video

After the victory over Carlos, I relaxed, honestly. I took an ice bath, followed my usual routine, and rested. I didn’t sleep very well last night, I woke up quite tired, but it has happened to me many times: you play a great match, the next day, and sometimes your mind wants to tell you that you are tired and suffering.

Jack Draper said at the press conference

The British young-gun said he’s trying to be more consistent in training because pushing himself to the limit, especially on days when he’s low on energy, helps him deal with uncertainty. Draper tried not to dwell much on the Alcaraz match and despite being fatigued, the fact that he reached the final made him give his all to the task at hand.

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I felt somewhat fatigued this morning due to all the emotions from yesterday, but I was in a final, I had worked extremely hard to get here, I had beaten five great players, so it wasn’t a time to be tired.

Jack Draper added

Brad Gilbert shares biggest takeaway from Indian Wells after Jack Draper wins title

American tennis coach Brad Gilbert is convinced that Jannik Sinner‘s dominating play will surely take him to the Indian Wells final. Following the era dominated by the Big 3: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, the tennis world saw the emergence of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are denying other players a chance to taste success.

Jack Draper (2)
Jack Draper (Image via ATP/X)

Last year as well Alcaraz and Sinner were the winners in the Sunshine Doubles as the former defended the Indian Wells, while the World No.1 won the Miami Open for the first time. The Miami Open was one of the eight ATP titles Sinner took home last year. And now that he is serving his three-month doping suspension, after Jack Draper‘s win, Gilbert felt that it has opened the door for several players to win big titles.

Biggest takeaway from IW on mens side. way more opportunity for a final like we have today with the absence of Sin City the way he has been playing the last 18 months,he would have been in the final today.

Brad Gilbert wrote on X

Check out his post here:

Sinner was handed the three-month ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after they reached a case resolution with the three-time Grand Slam champion. The 23-year-old Italian ace is prohibited from ATP-sanctioned events till May 4.

Jack Draper climbed to No.7 spot in ATP rankings after Indian Wells win

The Indian Wells’ final win boosted Jack Draper’s rankings. He climbed to seven places to secure himself in the career-best No.7 position.

Jack Draper
Jack Draper (Image via ATP/X)

Prior to Indian Wells, the 23-year-old progressed to the Qatar Open final but lost in three straights to Andrey Rublev. The Indian Wells trophy is his first ATP title since his victory in the 2024 Vienna Open final. Draper also became the second Briton to win the first ATP Masters 1000 of the season following Cameron Norrie in 2021.