If there was any doubt about the respect that Jack Draper has earned in the locker rooms of mens’ tennis, Carlos Alcaraz’s mindset in the build up to their latest encounter was instructive. Alcaraz did not merely intend to win, as in every match, he desperately wanted to exact his revenge on an opponent that has announced himself as one of his biggest challengers.
Alcaraz, the third seed, achieved those aims with ruthless efficiency, overcoming a slow start before overwhelming the fifth seed Draper with his variety and shotmaking to end the Briton’s excellent run and reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win.
There have been numerous difficult periods for Alcaraz this year as the sport looked towards him in the absence of Jannik Sinner, but this performance was further evidence that the 22 year-old, a champion in Monte Carlo, is finding his best level again. For Draper, who fought hard until the end, the defeat simply closes out a tournament that will be invaluable in both the 23 year-old’s development as a top player and a clay court contender.
Two months ago, Alcaraz and Draper faced each other in the semi-finals of Indian Wells, a tense, turbulent match riddled with nerves that Draper won en route to his first career ATP Masters 1000 title. Alcaraz’s state of mind going into the battle was in some ways even more surprising than the actual result. He later admitted that he had been suffering from suffocating nerves due to the challenge Draper presented.
After blasting through the draw to make the Madrid Open final ten days ago, this week has been equally valuable in Draper’s development. His brilliant recovery against the cunning Corentin Moutet represented another step forward for him but a meeting with the reigning French Open and Monte Carlo champion, who has already won every significant clay court title on offer aside from this event, required him to take his game to new levels.
It was Draper who stepped up first, taking advantage of a loose service game and a double fault on break point from Alcaraz to lead 4-2. It did not last long. Alcaraz followed up his poor service game with a supreme return game, immediately wrestling back the break.
As Alcaraz settled down, he opened up his vast toolbox of shots and made life hell for Draper. With his destructive forehand in full flow, he also peppered Draper with drop shots and returned brilliantly, continually pushing Draper back with his return consistency and depth. Although Draper has made great strides with his clay court movement, the gulf between them defensively was also clearly greater on this surface. Alcaraz turned the set around swiftly, reeling off four consecutive games to take the set.
For the second time in as many matches, Draper devoted his time between sets to shouting encouragement at himself. Although he immediately lost his serve at the start of set two, Draper dug in impressively and he emerged from a long deuce game at 0-1 with the break retrieved. The momentum shifted again, with Draper rediscovering his rhythm on his serve while landing ample returns as he forced Alcaraz into a series of tough games on his own serve.
Throughout the second set, Draper had plenty of chances but in most of the key moments it was Alcaraz who stepped inside the baseline and played bold, attacking tennis and his forehand was by far the most dominant shot on the court. From 3-4 and break point down, Alcaraz rolled through the final three games of the match to achieve the revenge he desperately wanted. Next time, Draper will seek his own.
This report will update shortly