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Upon his arrival in Madrid two weeks ago, Jack Draper was still just trying to find his rhythm on clay, a surface he knew he could play well on but one that had so far brought him nothing but misery.
Now, after another of the best fortnights of his career, the 23-year-old will play for one of the biggest clay titles of all. He continued his sublime breakthrough run on Friday night by holding on in a bruising encounter with the 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Madrid Open final with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win.
This had already been another essential week in Draper’s blossoming career as his quarter-final win secured his position inside the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time but he has taken it even further. He is now also the third man of the 2000s generation to reach a Masters 1000 final on hard court and clay after his Indian Wells triumph in March.
In the final, Draper will face Casper Ruud after the Norwegian 14th seed defeated Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6-4, 7-5.
Throughout the event, Draper has repeatedly insisted that he always believed he could perform at a high level on clay despite the scepticism that often follows British players on this surface. He has backed up that confidence in full and has grown with every minute on the court.
Draper’s performances have been testament to his increasingly complete game; he has served brilliantly at times, but he is also a top returner. As he continues to become comfortable moving on clay, it is extremely difficult to put the ball past him.
The star of the show, however, has been Draper’s forehand, a destructive weapon that has improved more than any shot in his game. It was always bound to fare well on this surface; it is one of the heaviest shots in the game, the vicious spin kicking up on the slower courts and often forcing opponents to strike the ball at shoulder height.
Although Draper had already put together a series of strong wins en-route to the semi-final, Musetti represented by far his toughest opponent of the tournament. A Wimbledon semi-finalist and Olympic bronze medallist in the past year, the Italian began his clay season with a first appearance in a Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo. Armed with one of the most varied games on the tour alongside his excellent athleticism, Musetti was built to disrupt and neutralise Draper’s power, particularly on this surface where he is so crafty and athletic.
From the beginning, the contest was predictably tough and physical as Musetti narrowed the court with his defence and mixed up his game, but Draper simply overwhelmed the Italian with his weight and depth of shot, particularly off his forehand, and he served well in key moments.
He was dangerous from every part of the court, suffocating Musetti by forcing himself on the front foot but also constantly shifting defence to attack.
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With so many wins behind him in recent weeks, Musetti stayed calm. He worked his way into the match, gradually finding greater rhythm on his first serve and he wrestled control of the baseline rallies by injecting pace into his forehand and forcing himself to take the first strike.
By brilliantly taking care of his own service games in set two while serving first, he constantly put pressure on Draper to keep up and for much of the set he was the better player.
But Draper has never been more strong, mentally tough and confident in his game. He now knows that he is exactly where he belongs. At the end of a high quality, breathless set, Draper found a way to pull himself into the final and keep this remarkable run going.
