Draper: "I knew I was good on clay and I proved it"

© AFP

Clément Gehl

le 05/05/2025 à 07h35

1 min to read

Draper Madrid

Jack Draper came close to victory against Casper Ruud in the Madrid final, as evidenced by his two break points in the third set.

Despite the loss, his run in Madrid remains a real source of satisfaction for the Brit, who didn’t have much experience on clay beforehand.

In his post-match press conference, he analyzed his final performance and his level on the surface: "I think there were a few moments where his level dropped, but only during some double faults.

On my side, I dipped in level during certain phases of the match, and that’s what made the difference. It’s impossible, especially at this level against players of this caliber, especially on clay.

I knew I was good on clay, and this week I proved it. Last year, I suffered some very tight losses, and I needed to give my all to prove I could compete at a very high level on this surface.

This week, I proved it—to myself and to others. I think the most positive takeaway is that I’m still learning how to move and play on this surface.

I’m competing with the best clay-court players, the best in the world on this surface. That’s really encouraging, and I hope to keep it up next week in Rome and Paris."