Jack Draper admits he started to feel nervous and noticed his "body shutting down" during an Indian Wells Masters battle against Carlos Alcaraz before he managed to turn his engines on again and ultimately seal the win.
In March, Draper made his maiden Masters semifinal in Indian Wells. There, the 23-year-old was due to clash against defending champion Alcaraz. For the Briton, two things had been at stake going into the match - a first Masters final and securing a top-10 ranking for the first time in his career.
Draper made a commanding start, claiming two breaks and routinely taking the opener 6-1. But then, the whole rhythm and momentum completely changed as Alcaraz bageled his rival in the second set. In the third set, another major rhythm shift happened after the Briton broke the world No. 1 twice en route to completing a 6-1 0-6 6-4 win.
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Draper: I felt nervy and noticed my body shutting down in the second set against Alcaraz
"You get tight all the time. Against Alcaraz in the semis, I knew it was a match to get me into the top 10. I played a really good first set, then noticed my body shutting down a bit... I felt nervy. Against someone like that its tough to feel that way and still play. But I was proud of how I dug deep to get through it. There are many nerves in tennis. Each match has its own battle," the 23-year-old said during his appearance on The Tennis Mentor.
After beating Alcaraz, Draper dominated Holger Rune 6-2 6-2 to become a Masters champion in Indian Wells. Shortly after, the Briton also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.
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Unfortunately for the Briton, his strong 2025 was stopped when he picked up an arm injury and appeared in only one tournament after Wimbledon.
Draper confirmed that his recovery is going well and that he should be fully ready for 2026.
