Will Draper be a new member of the ATP Top 10? Follow him in the semi-final against Alcaraz
23-year-old British player Jack. Draper defeated Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of his first career ATP Masters 1000 event. He will face two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, and if Draper wins, he will reach 3,450 ATP ranking points, surpassing the 3,440 of Rublev, who is currently ranked at 8th place, and he could be in the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
Draper said after the 6-4, 7-5 win over Shelton:
"It's kind of crazy. So I don't actually think about it at all. I just train, eat, play Monopoly: Trading Edition, get ready for the game, and then give it my all. If I win, that's great. If I lose, I'll keep trying the next day.
Of course, it's all very exciting. I thought about it when I was a kid and I wanted to be in the top 10 in the world, I wanted to make it to the next round in a big tournament like this. So I didn't actually set any goals because I felt like playing on these stages was fulfilling my dream. ”
If Draper beats Alcaraz, he will move up to eighth place in the live ATP rankings, surpassing De Minaur, Tsitsipas and Rublev. And if he lifts the biggest trophy of his career at Indian Wells, he could rise to seventh in the ATP rankings next Monday. While the chance to sit alongside these top players can be exciting, the Englishman didn't look beyond Saturday's bout with Alcaraz. While he is proud of himself, he calmly looks at his game and prepares for it. He admits that he won't be satisfied with his current results and wants to win more races and have more opportunities to compete against the best. He said that he will continue to improve, keep improving, and continue to pursue more success. He'll look back on his performance after a tournament, but now he'll focus on preparing for the next race.
Draper and Alcaraz trailed 3-1 in Indian Wells, with his only win coming on grass in the 2024 Queen's Cup.
Asked about the prospects of the fight against Alcaraz, Draper said:
He is a great champion who has already achieved extraordinary results in the sport. He is very beneficial to the sport, not only for the players, but also for the spectators, it is a pleasure to watch him play. He's setting a very high bar and that's good for a player like me because I'll watch him play and look forward to playing against him and then think about how I'm going to get to his level and what I need to do when I have the opportunity to compete with him in big tournaments.
Of course I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to play Carlos again. I think it's going to be a good matchup. He can show a lot on the pitch, especially in conditions like this. He liked the venue very much. This will be another chance for me to hopefully prove that I belong to the top ranks.
Draper reached the round of 16 at this year's Australian Open, retiring 5-7, 1-6 against Alcaraz due to injury. After that, they reached the final in Doha, where they lost to Rublev.
The Indian Wells Masters is Draper's third tournament of the season. He defeated Fonseca in the second round, Brooksby of the United States in the third round, No. 3 seed Fritz in the fourth round and No. 11 seed Shelton in the quarter-finals. He picked out three American players in a row!
Born in 2001, Draper and Alcaraz debuted at about the same time, both starting their careers in 2018. He is well-rounded, but not as agile as Alcaraz. However, he has become more and more consistent on the field and has a strong attack. Therefore, this match against Alcaraz is very much worth looking forward to!
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