Draper confesses the moment that changed everything in front of Alcaraz: "I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself.."

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🎾 Holger Rune vs Jack Draper

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We had been warning about the potential of Jack Draper for a while, and with this victory over Carlos Alcaraz, it has been confirmed that the Brit is here to stay and will be another contender to consider in major tournaments. His growth in recent months has been tremendous, and now being in the Top 10, he is increasingly aiming higher.

In the press conference, the Brit talked about the importance of this achievement, especially after the tough times he has been through due to injuries, and he is delighted to be able to compete for his first Masters 1000 title. Don't miss his response about what he did at the end of the second set to turn everything around and stop Alcaraz from staging a comeback.

Emotions

Beating Carlos in this tournament, at this stage, on this court, feels incredible. I watched the best play on this court on TV, and it feels great. My mind is also on tomorrow, as I have another match to play, but I am very proud of my achievement.

Carlos felt nervous playing against him

Before playing against him, I also had doubts. At this level, I always fear losing to one of these players, and I think that gives me a great competitive advantage because I know how well these guys play. Especially when you play against the best, self-belief is crucial. I am sure many step onto the court thinking they can't beat these players. I have been watching Carlos play all week and thought he was playing incredibly, but I believed I could at least trouble him. At the start of the match, I saw him low on energy and making many mistakes. It was crazy. I take it as a compliment that he felt nervous because of me.

About the ups and downs of the match

His energy was low in the first set. That carried over to the beginning of the second, but I couldn't seize that game. Then, I went through a rough patch. This was a big match for me. I knew that winning today would put me in the Top 10, and playing against Carlos here makes you feel some things. My energy collapsed. My legs stopped working. These experiences are new to me. When I went to the locker room after the second set, I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself I had to regroup, that there was no time to be tired or think negatively, that there was still a lot to play for, and that he was also feeling things. I geared up for the third set.

Left-handed advantage

I think being left-handed gives me an edge. Normally, I am right-handed, and I believe that helps me a lot because my forehand is improving. It's the shot I'm least comfortable with, and my backhand is the shot I can hit with my eyes closed. I have no problem playing cross-court against my opponents with my backhand. That gives them more trouble. That's a great strength of mine.

Final moments

At 4-2 in the third, I put a lot of energy into that game to break him again. When I achieved that, it left me a bit out of breath, and I felt a bit tired emotionally after that. With 5-4, I regained my composure and could feel it from the very first point, even though I lost it. I knew I was going to close it out there.

Looking ahead to the final

I have been through a lot in recent years with my injuries, working hard to return to a decent level. That was my goal at the end of last year; I wanted to achieve consistency and get to the point of pressuring the world's best in major tournaments. This victory means a lot to me. I am looking forward to tomorrow. My energy is already focused on what I need to do to have a chance to win the tournament tomorrow.

Controversy over the no double bounce point

It's good for tennis to have VAR. Last year, with everything that happened in the match with Félix, being called a liar and all that... I always try to be fair and do the right thing. I asked the chair umpire to review the play because I felt it wasn't a double bounce. I asked Carlos at the net if he felt bothered by Mohamed's call, but he said no. If Carlos had told me yes, that it affected him, I would have replayed the point.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Draper confiesa el momento que cambió todo ante Alcaraz: "Me miré al espejo y me dije..."