When he arrived in Madrid two weeks ago, Jack Draper was still just trying to find his rhythm on clay, a surface he knew he could play well on but one that had so far brought him nothing but misery.
Now, after another of the best fortnights of his career, the 23-year-old will play for one of the biggest clay titles of all. He continued his sublime breakthrough run on Friday night by holding on in a bruising encounter with the 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Madrid Open final with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win.
This had already been another essential week in Draper’s blossoming career as his quarter-final win secured his position inside the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time but he has taken it even further. He is now also the third man of the 2000s generation to reach a Masters 1000 final on hard court and clay after his Indian Wells triumph in March. He is still yet to drop a set in Madrid.
This time, the victory was made even sweeter by the presence of his mother, Nicky, in his player box after she flew in from London. “The last few times she’s come to watch me play, French Open first round I had a shocker, and then Monte Carlo this year was really poor in my second round,” he said. “Seems like every match she’s come to I’ve been terrible. So I was thinking when she said she was going to come yesterday I was like: ‘Ooh, I’m not sure if you should come.’
“She ended up coming, and I’m glad she did, because tonight was a really good performance. Maybe her luck’s changed when she comes to watch me play, so we’ll see.”
In the final, Draper will face Casper Ruud after the Norwegian 14th seed defeated Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 7-5.
Throughout the event, Draper has repeatedly insisted that he always believed he could perform at a high level on clay despite the scepticism that often follows British players on this surface. He has backed up that confidence in full and has grown with every minute on the court.
Draper’s performances have been testament to his increasingly complete game; he has served brilliantly at times, but he is also a top quality returner. As he continues to become comfortable moving on clay, it is extremely difficult to consistently put the ball past him. The most significant development in recent months, however, has been Draper’s forehand, a destructive weapon that has improved more than any shot in his game.
“The impressive thing of him, he’s really a complete player,” said Musetti. “I would say he’s impressive also when he defends. For his height, it’s really high. And of course a lefty who can serve really well, especially for a one-handed backhand, it’s not easy.”
Although Draper had already put together a series of strong wins en route to the semi-final, Musetti represented by far his toughest opponent of the tournament. A Wimbledon semi-finalist and Olympic bronze medallist in the past year, the Italian reached his first Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo last month. Armed with one of the most varied games on the tour alongside his excellent athleticism, Musetti was built to disrupt and neutralise Draper.
From the beginning, the contest was predictably tough and physical but Draper overwhelmed the Italian with his weight and depth of shot, particularly off his forehand. Musetti remained calm, however, and he worked his way into the match by finding rhythm on his first serve and injecting pace into his forehand. By the second half of the set, Musetti was the better player and he constantly pressured Draper to hold serve and keep up.
But the world No 5 has never been stronger, more mentally tough and as confident in his game. Under pressure against a classy opponent, he was patient and demonstrated his problem solving ability and his strength, taking back control of the match by mixing in serve and volleying. At the end of a high quality, breathless second set, Draper found a way to drag himself into the final and keep his remarkable run going.
