Jack Draper admits an area of his game was ‘exposed’ during defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in Rome

Jack Draper was looking to qualify for his second clay Masters semi-final of the season with a win over Carlos Alcaraz in Rome.

The British number one enjoyed a fantastic tournament in Spain recently, where Draper reached the final of the Madrid Open, narrowly losing out to Casper Ruud in three sets.

Bouncing back in Rome, Draper beat Luciano Darderi in his opening match, 6-1, 6-4, before taking down Vit Kopriva to advance to the last 16.

There, Draper got the better of Corentin Moutet, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, to set up an intriguing quarterfinal clash with Alcaraz.

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Having beaten Alcaraz in their most recent encounter in Indian Wells, Draper couldn’t repeat the feat, losing 4-6, 4-6, exiting the Italian Open at the quarterfinal stage.

Speaking after the match, Draper admitted his Spanish opponent may have exposed a weakness in his game.

Jack Draper thinks Carlos Alcaraz ‘exposed’ his backhand during their Rome quarterfinal match

Talking to Tim Henman on Sky Sports, Draper revealed the shot from his arsenal, which Alcaraz was able to expose in Rome.

“I think there are some things where, against a top clay courter like today that certain things can get exposed,” he said.

“My return, for instance, you have to have a little bit more height on the clay. I don’t think I did a great job of that today.

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“Especially in the matches that I’ve lost so far, they’ve been able to find my backhand a little bit, so I’ve got to keep working on being more physical, being more effective in getting it to their backhand.

“I don’t know, it’s more of a chess game on the clay, I’m learning.”

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Draper went on to explain why he found his defeat to the world number three, ‘very frustrating’.

“I think Carlos [Alcaraz] was better tactically than me, better emotionally,” he said.

“I sit here very frustrated with my match today. I think I could have tactically changed up a few things better.

“Emotionally, I was too negative, I think a lot of that is how much tennis I’ve played, but also top players, they bring that out of you, so Carlos, overall, was the better player today and deserved to win.”

The Brit detailed how fatigue played a role in his Italian Open exit and said he ‘understands’ that improving his mental and physical stamina will be vital to him competing with the very best on the ATP Tour.

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“I definitely think with the Masters 1000s being the way that they are, if you’re going to do consistently well in them, it takes a lot out of you from an emotional/mental standpoint,” said Draper.

“But I understand if you want to be a top player, I can’t be normal, I have to be at the top of my game every day.

“That’s why losses like today and how I lost, it hurts but at the same time I’m very proud with how I’ve come in the past six months especially, but I’m really hungry, with all the experiences that I’m getting to want to get right to the top of the game.”

Jack Draper is ‘really hungry’ ahead of French Open return

The world number five has yet to win a match at the French Open in his two previous visits.

Having made real strides on the surface since then, he’s confident of making his presence felt in Paris later this month.

“Roland Garros, I’m looking forward to going back, after last year, it was a disappointing one for me,” said Draper.

“I feel like I’ve never really played there with good tennis, feeling confident, so I’ll look forward to that, and obviously the grass is after that.

“We’ll focus on Roland Garros, I’m really hungry to get there and carry this form on the clay courts.”

Draper will enter the second Grand Slam of the year with a mightily impressive 9-3 record on the clay.

Match Opponent Result Score 2025 Italian Open – QF Carlos Alcaraz Loss 4-6, 4-6 2025 Italian Open – 4R Corentin Moutet Win 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 2025 Italian Open – 3R Vit Kopriva Win 6-4, 6-3 2025 Italian Open – 2R Luciano Darderi Win 6-1, 6-4 2025 Madrid Open – F Casper Ruud Loss 5-7, 6-3, 4-6 2025 Madrid Open – SF Lorenzo Musetti Win 6-3, 7-6 2025 Madrid Open – QF Matteo Arnaldi Win 6-0, 6-4 2025 Madrid Open – 4R Tommy Paul Win 6-2, 6-2 2025 Madrid Open – 3R Matteo Berrettini Win 7-6 (RET) 2025 Madrid Open – 2R Tallon Griekspoor Win 6-3, 6-4 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – 3R Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Loss 3-6, 7-6, 4-6 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – 2R Marcus Giron Win 6-1, 6-1 Jack Draper’s 2025 clay record

Draper’s win over Lorenzo Musetti in Madrid was arguably the most impressive of the lot, as he took down the in-form Italian in straight sets.

The 23-year-old will look to draw on confidence from all nine wins when he returns to action at the French Open.

Draper will compete at the French Open as the number five seed when the tournament gets underway on Sunday, May 25.

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