Jack Draper welcomed the “adult” performance after being hit by victory in the BNP Paribas Open Finals at Indian Wells.
British No. 1 powered past Holgirl Runes in a straight set 6-2 6-2 in just 68 minutes to secure the Otome ATP Masters 1000 title.
This victory brought Draper to 7th place in the ATP singles rankings. He went from 14th to 7th place.
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Draper broke the rune in the opening game and did it again in the next attempt to win the first set within 30 minutes. He then parted ways on the first opportunity again in Set 2 as he surged to victory.
“I wasn’t expecting that earlier this week,” Draper told Sky Sports. “I was injured and had a lot of rocks that year, so being in this position is beyond words.
“I talk a lot about these rounds in the tournament to my coaches, and I lost games in the past because I went passive and had it on my opponents and played to win.
“It’s a good adult moment for my game to play the way I did from the first ball and find the forehand, to work well.”
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Highlights of Draper’s emphasis on runes in the final at Indian Wells
With his victory on Monday, attempting to lift Draper to a career-high seventh place in the world rankings, he added:
“The amount of adversity I have experienced, the amount of sacrifices, the amount of time that all the people around me have put into me, and the effort.
“It’s an emotional feeling to know how much you’ve gone through and you’re here now. To say I’m going to seven in the world, I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
Draper continued: “I want to be a top player. I want to continue improving, but I work hard and see what happens because my dreams are doing what I’m doing.
“To get the opportunity I have to play on a big stage against the best players in the world. Winning these big tournaments is an extra bonus.”
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“I want to be a great player.”
Draper’s goal is to become a “great player”, but he refused to target a particular event or ranking.
“I don’t think about results when it comes to rankings or events. I feel like I’ve achieved a lot last year, and it had nothing to do with setting goals,” he said.
“It’s important to believe that setting goals and saying you’re going to do something, but if you’re not working together with days of sacrifice and consistency, you’re not going to achieve anything.
“Obviously I want to be a great player and I want to achieve great things in this sport, but my main goal is to continue improving and knuckling. I know there’s a long way ahead of me. I’m very ambitious.
Image: Indian Wells felt like a groundbreaking moment for Draper
He renews his confidence as he moves further out of this competition.
“It’s incredible to win here. I’ve seen this tournament since I was a young man and have seen all the champions play on this large court. Honestly, it means that I can be a champion here,” he continued.
“It’s definitely a big moment for me. Getting into the top 10 and winning my first Masters title adds to my inner beliefs and confidence.
“Today I came to know that this is the final,” he added. “The truth is, I was a little nervous before I played, but then when I got on the court I felt amazing. I felt like I was in control. I knew what I needed to do.”
“I remember the draper of a day forever.”
Two-time Indian Wells finalist Tim Henman said Draper had a long-lived “statement” victory in the memory of British players.
“Absolutely a great performance,” Henman said at Sky Sports Tennis. “It’s been built not only for this tournament, but for the past few weeks, months and years.
“It’s great to see Jack come out and deliver him over and over again in a tournament where he didn’t have the easiest draw.
“He absolutely pulled Rune away 6-2, 6-2 to win the first Masters title. This is a day he will remember forever.”
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Henman added: “Watching the match unfolded, it was very one-way traffic. The second set would be closer, we knew there would be a response, but Jack handled his emotions, game plans and strategies very well.
“When he wasn’t having any physical issues, he was able to carry out his game plan. Defeating someone like Rune on a straight set is a big statement.”
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