For much of the season, these games have been long, hard-fought battles as Jack Draper faced off against elite opposition. Even when the 22-year-old loses, he usually puts his talents on full display.
However, Draper’s run at this year’s Madrid Open came to an uncharacteristically hasty end on Friday, when his poor serve was punished by eighth seed Hubert Hulkac, who won 6-1, 7- 5 advanced to the third round.
“My serve wasn’t good, and that’s really the biggest thing,” Draper said. “If I play him 10 times and my serve rate is 43% [first serves in], you will probably lose every time. I think you also have to admit that he played very well today.
Draper enters Madrid at an interesting time in his young career. Although he has been plagued by injuries during the past two years on tour, when healthy, he has performed well and maintained a good ranking.
But now that he’s finally been able to play a full schedule and stay healthy in recent months, he’s learning just how challenging it is to consistently perform at the highest level. Currently ranked 43rd, he has compiled a 7-7 record since February. Before this match, Draper noted that all of his losses had come in three sets, reflecting how good his advantage was.
This time, Draper was outplayed by the brilliant Hurkacs, who burst out of the gate, knocked down service winners and played aggressive tennis from the wings. Meanwhile, Draper’s serve was terrible. By 0-5, his first-server hit rate was only 33%. He was hitting the ball very hard on the court, and his spinning forehand rose into Hulkac’s hitting zone.
Draper handled it better in the second set, increasing his intensity and finding his huge left-handed first serve. But Hurkacs has the best serve in the world, a devastating, precise delivery, and the pressure to hold his own is immense. At 5-5 in the second set, Draper only needed a tense serve before Hurkacs got a decisive break and sealed the victory.
The defeat came just 30 minutes later and even amid the disappointment, he maintained an impressive perspective. He noted that he was never really an ATP Tour player the past few years given his injuries, and he considers this year to be his first full season.
“This year is the first time I’ve been playing against top 10, top 20 players every week. Again, in these tournaments, you’re not seeded, you get a good win in the first round and then you have to play against Hurkacz or [Taylor] Fritz, or top player.
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“I think all these games will be good for me, just learning more. I’ll definitely gain more experience as a player. Even a game like today, I can learn more from.
One of the first lessons Draper has learned in recent months is that when you’re healthy, each championship week brings new opportunities. He will return home to London and take a few days off, but the Italian Open in Rome is about to start, another chance for him to go up against the best players in the world.
“I am honored to be in the position I am in, and I have a lot of space,” he said. “No injuries, that’s the most important thing – to be able to compete. I’ve been on the other side, like I can’t play Wimbledon, can’t do this, can’t do that. I’d rather have the opportunity to be here every week, See what the games are all about and try to win them.
Meanwhile, second seed Carlos Alcaraz easily defeated Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1 in Madrid to advance to the third round and begin his defense of the title.
