Jack Draper makes ‘angry’ confession as he reaches stunning career milestone and closes in on rankings leap
Jack Draper recorded a milestone win as he saw off Czech qualifier Vit Kopria 6-4, 6-3 at the Italian Open in Rome.
Draper is sitting at No 2 in the ATP Race rankings for 2025, confirming he is one of the form players on the ATP Tour and he continued that form with a convincing win against Kopria.
“It was a tough match against a guy who is a bit unknown, but he’s won a lot of matches here,” said Draper, who achieved his 100th tour level win as he moved into the last-16 in Rome.
“I knew coming in that it was another chance to put my game out on the court. I felt a little bit low on energy and my feet weren’t working as I wanted them to, but I tried to fight hard and find a way. The frustration boiled out a little too much in the end, but I stayed in it.
“We don’t always wake up out of bed feeling great. I get out of bed feeling so angry some days and I’ve got to play a tennis match, I’ve got to lose points and go through those emotional ups and downs. I’ve played a lot of tennis and I’m getting used to that. It’s taken some getting used to for me from a mental and physical side.
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“I obviously had a good run last week, and the more I’m playing, the more I am feeling comfortable and trusting my movement on the surface. I try to come out here and play my brand of tennis.”
Draper smashed as racket as he lost his cool at one point in the match, but he insisted that moment of anger was not a major concern.
“Obviously, the frustration boiled out a little bit too much in the end, but I stayed at it and came through,” he added.
“I’m human. We don’t always wake up out of bed feeling great. I’m the same. I get out of bed and I feel so angry some days, and I’ve got to play a tennis match and I’ve got to lose points and I’ve got to go through those emotional ups and downs, even with that going on.
“I think I’ve played a lot of tennis, a lot of matches, and I’m getting used to that. I’m in a new position now, my ranking is obviously going up, and I’m getting to compete week in, week out and play lots of matches.
“It’s taking some getting used to for me from a mental and physical side, and I want to keep going, but it’s sometimes difficult to always be perfect.”
Draper will have a glorious chance to move closer to another rankings milestone when he takes on Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the next round, with the world No 4 ranking in his sights.
American Taylor Fritz currently holds the prized No 4 ranking that will be crucial to the seedings for the upcoming French Open, with Draper needing to win two more matches in Rome to claim the No 4 spot when the rankings are updated at the end of the Italian Open.
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