Just a couple of hours after closing out one of the biggest achievements of his career, it was time for Jack Draper to move on. The frantic tour schedule waits for nobody, meaning instead of digesting the stellar triumph his first ever ATP 500 title at the Vienna Open on Sunday, Draper already had to cast his eyes on the Paris Masters. By Monday evening, Draper was training on court four in Bercy Arena, trying to give himself the best chance of being ready.
Despite the quick turnaround, uncomfortable surface and a tricky draw, Draper hit the ground running in the final Masters 1000 event of the year, gradually finding his range throughout a tight opening set before imposing himself on Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic. He eventually moved into the second round of the with a clinical 7-5, 6-2 win.
“Decent,” said Draper of his level. “I think my attitude was really good. It was not easy, the court is like night and day to Vienna, incredibly fast. Court two is obviously really low, not a big court at all so very, very different. I did what I needed to do.”
The Paris draw did not provide Draper with an opportunity to ease into the tournament. Also 22 years old, Lehecka is a talented young player in his own right, a clean, destructive shotmaker who has established himself inside the top 30. Lehecka defeated Draper in three tough sets to win his first ATP title in Adelaide at the beginning of the year, denying Draper a first title of his own.
The ballistic court speed in Paris this year has provided an additional challenge to all players. The Court Pace Index (CPI), which classifies court speeds on all surfaces around the world, categorises this year’s courts as the fastest in Paris for over a decade and also the fastest Masters 1000 court all year. Draper had just one practice session and one warm-up to adjust to some of the most extreme conditions on the tour this year.
“Maybe here and Cincinnati is the fastest I’ve played on,” he said. “There’s no rallies, it’s just serve. I don’t know what it’s like on the other courts but definitely here it felt insanely fast. It’s maybe not going to be pretty tennis but at the same time it’s a good challenge for me to adapt my game as fast as possible from Vienna and I thought I did a good job today.”
With the ball skidding so quickly through the court, both players were dominant behind their first serves and few rallies lasted more than four shots. After 10 games, the pair had conceded just one point combined behind their first serves.
At 5-5, the pressure rising, Draper took the lead by demonstrating the different dimensions of his game. He landed ample returns and frustrated Lehecka with his greater movement and shot tolerance to take the first break of the match. After serving out the opening set with ease, Draper remained untouchable on his serve as he gradually found his range off the ground and moved through an excellent win.
“I enjoyed the moment, I didn’t have much time,” said the British No 1 of the Vienna win. “Obviously, 36 hours is not a lot. That’s the nature of things, you have to get straight back on it and I know that if I want to be a top, top player in the world, I’ve got to be consistent, which means going again.
“I’ll reflect on it after this week but the main challenge mentally was just how I was going to adapt to the different court conditions. Maybe I had to laugh off a few shots, but apart from that it was good.”
Things will only get more difficult for Draper, who is ranked No 15 but unseeded in Paris. He faces Taylor Fritz next, the world No 6 and US Open finalist, in the second round. While Draper won their first meeting at Queen’s in 2022, Fritz leads their head-to-head 2-1 after winning both of their tight three-set tussles this year. Draper addressed the second round meeting without hesitation: “I’ll be ready,” he said.
Meanwhile, the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, was forced to withdraw from the Paris Masters on Tuesday after contracting an intestinal virus in the lead-up to the tournament. Carlos Alcaraz, now the highest ranked player in the draw, moved on with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry.
