British tennis player Jack Draper shared his thoughts after defeating Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters with a score of 6-2, 6-2.
– Jack, this is your first time reaching a Masters quarterfinal on clay. Are you surprised by this achievement?
– No, not entirely. I don`t want to sound arrogant, but I always felt I could achieve something significant on clay; it just required time. When I trained at home and was younger, I always felt comfortable on this surface. Of course, the level is completely different now. It`s satisfying to prove to myself and everyone else that I am strong on clay and can be a dangerous opponent.
– Yesterday you mentioned that British players don`t play much on clay, but you emphasized `no excuses`. Can you talk about the culture you`re building within your team?
– Everyone has their own approach, right? But for those, like me, who rarely play on clay, it`s easy to start thinking it`s not their surface. If I want to be a top player and compete at an elite level for many years, I need to be consistent everywhere. For me, this is a challenge. I believe I can achieve great success on clay. We`ll see, time will tell,” Draper said in the on-court interview.
Rupert Hartwell