INDIAN WELLS, California — Britain’s Jack Draper turned his childhood dreams into reality at Indian Wells, claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title and catapulting himself into the top 10 for the first time after a rapid ascent through his sport.
The 23-year-old downed Denmark’s Holger Rune 6-2 6-2 in a display of total dominance in the final, after overcoming the twice defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal and swatting aside top US hopes Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
“I have been watching this tournament since I was a young guy, watching all the champions play on this big court,” said Draper according to Reuters.
“It means the world to me, honestly, to be able to be a champion here.”
It was only 18 months ago that Draper – then ranked 123nd in the world – emerged as the unlikely hope for British men’s tennis when he defied injury and the odds to reach the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.
He quickly added to his credentials from there, beating Italian Matteo Berrettini for his first ATP title in Stuttgart in June.
Weeks later, he was in the final four at Flushing, becoming the first British man since Andy Murray in 2012 to reach the US Open semifinal and he picked up his first ATP 500-level title in October in Vienna.
“You dream of winning this stuff when you’re a kid. I think over the years, especially when you’re playing pro and stuff, it kind of gets lost a little bit, because maybe that, you know, when you’re young you think, ‘Oh, I’m just going to rock up and win’,” he told reporters.
“It doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to go through many ups and downs and emotions.”
Draper, whose competition schedule early this year was limited due to a nagging hip issue, credited his coach with providing a structured approach to help him weather the highs and lows.
“I want to achieve amazing things in this sport, but my main goal is keep on improving and keep on knuckling down,” he said.
Indian Wells set an all-time attendance record with 504 268 tennis fans passing through the gates during the fortnight, tournament organisers said.
The previous record total was 493 440 set last year at the 2024 event, organisers added.
The tournament in the California desert is popular with fans, who flock every March to the palm tree-lined Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and players, who have voted it their favourite ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event in each of the past 10 years.
French bank BNP Paribas announced on Friday that it had renewed its title sponsorship with the tournament through 2029.
The event is known as the unofficial fifth Grand Slam and the singles were won this year by Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva and rising English prospect Jack Draper.
Founded in 1974, the tournament and facility were transformed after being purchased in 2009 by American billionaire and tennis enthusiast Larry Ellison for $100 million.
Ellison has since pumped tens of millions of dollars into a tournament dubbed “Tennis Paradise.”
The Dane’s frustrations boiled over early in the second set, where he shouted at his team before dropping serve in the first game. He handed Draper another break in the penultimate game with a backhand shot that he sent wide.
Draper fired a booming forehand shot across the net to clinch the match and smiled towards the stands before kneeling on court with his fists thrust into the air in celebration.
