Jack Draper’s strong run on clay courts came to an end on Thursday at the Rome Masters 1000. The British player lost in the quarterfinals to Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, who won 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals. Alcaraz, now a clay-court specialist, will face Lorenzo Musetti in the next round.
Draper had been enjoying his best stretch of the season. He was a finalist at the Madrid Open, losing to Casper Ruud, and reached the quarterfinals in Rome with confident wins in his first three matches.
After the loss, Draper admitted Alcaraz was simply better. “I lost to a better player,” Draper said, as reported by the ATP Tour. “It hurts a lot, this kind of loss. But Carlos played a really good match and he was the better player. I have to accept that.”
However, Draper also reflected on his own performance. “I’m very disappointed with the way I performed, in a way,” he said. “From a mental and emotional point of view, you could say that’s normal, you had a tough four weeks now. But I don’t want to be normal. I want to be right up there.”
The 22-year-old noted that playing four weeks in a row had taken a toll on him. “I’ve been struggling a little bit to maintain my quality all throughout the matches,” he explained. “Today against someone like that, you can’t have those dips in your standards because you get punished.”
Despite the defeat, Draper remains positive about his progress. “I’ve been playing some really good stuff. I’m really proud of the way I’ve approached the clay season, especially so far. Obviously good results. Hard to keep on going. But I know that if I want to be a top, top player, I have to be consistent week in, week out.”
Looking ahead, Draper is now focusing on Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year. “I’m looking forward to going to Roland Garros because I haven’t been able to play very good tennis there in the past,” he said. “This time hopefully it’s a good opportunity for me to go and really put my game on the court and carry on with the momentum where I left off. Definitely after today I’ll be very hungry to want to show some really good stuff there.”
Draper’s recent results show clear improvement on clay, giving him confidence as he prepares for the challenges ahead.
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