PIF ATP Rankings Update

Draper fires into Top 10 with Indian Wells triumph

A spot in the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings is hard earned, even without having to contend with the sort of adversity Jack Draper has faced in his young career.

As the 23-year-old Briton completed a see-saw semi-final victory against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, he not only booked his spot in his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final: Draper also ensured he would become the second-youngest British man to become a Top 10 player after Andy Murray.

For years, Draper has shown plenty of promise, only for a series of nagging injuries to undermine his bid to fulfil it consistently on the ATP Tour. Now, after defeating Holger Rune in Sunday's Indian Wells final to claim the biggest title of his career, the brawny lefty has taken his place in the ATP Tour’s elite club as the new World No. 7.

That's right Jack, you deserve it all. 🫶@BNPPARIBASOPEN | #TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/GvZM1u42On

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 16, 2025

“Relief, joy, just a huge feeling of big emotion,” said Draper, when asked how he felt after sinking Alcaraz for his Top 10 spot in Indian Wells. “I have been through a lot in my few years with playing and especially the last ones with some injuries, and a lot of hard work to sort of always try and get back to a decent level.

“It was my goal at the end of last year that I obviously already had some good results, but I want to really achieve some consistency and get to the point where I'm pushing these top players in the world in the biggest tournaments.”

For plenty of Draper’s rivals, the Briton’s rise into the Top 10 will not come as a huge surprise. They include Alcaraz, against whom Draper has twice previously been forced to retire due to injury, including in the fourth round at this year’s Australian Open.

“In January when I played him in Australia, he had to retire. I said, ‘You will be where you deserve’,” said Alcaraz on Saturday after Draper snapped his 16-match Indian Wells winning streak. “And he deserves to be Top 10. He deserves to play a final in a Masters 1000. I am happy about him because I didn't doubt about his level, about himself.

“He's ready to stay there for a long time. He's ready to play for the big events, for the big tournaments. I wasn't surprised about what I saw today. It wasn't an easy match for him, playing for the Top 10, playing for the first Masters 1000 final, and I think he did great. He dealt with the nerves better than I did.”

Overcoming physical challenges has long been a part of Draper’s tennis story. He broke the Top 50 for the first time in September 2022, but then completed just 28 competitive matches in an injury-plagued 2023, while he was also forced to delay the start of his 2025 season due to tendonitis in his hip. James Trotman, Draper’s coach, recently explained to ATPTour.com how his charge’s physical limitations as a junior influenced his robust style of play.

“There was a lot of potential there,” Trotman said of Draper. “He was very small until the age of 15 or 16. He grew up as a smaller player having to compete against bigger guys, having to defend and find ways of being competitive against the stronger players who could hit him off the court.

“His identity from a young age was to be a little bit more defensive. All of a sudden, he grows to 6’ 4” and he’s serving out of a tree and hitting the ball big. A big part of that coaching journey that we’re still on today is to try and impose his weapons on the court and take the racquet out of his opponent's hand.”

After successfully doing just that to claim his first two tour-level titles last year in Stuttgart and Vienna, respectively, Draper arguably took his game to new heights across the past 10 days in Indian Wells. His lefty serve and fearsome forehand were the foundation for straight-sets wins against #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca and home favourites Jenson Brooksby, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, before he capped his run by defeating Alcaraz in three sets and cruising past Rune.

Throughout it all, the Briton maintained his calm, composed on-court demeanour. In his post-match press conferences, Draper acknowledged his pride in his achievements so far but also spoke about his constant hunger for more, an attribute that Alcaraz and the rest of Draper’s new fellow Top 10 rivals will be wary of.

“I just end up practising, eating, playing Monopoly Deal, getting ready for my match, competing as hard as I can,” said Draper after his Alcaraz win. “The result is the result, and then if I win, then great. If I don't, then I get back to work the next day.

“Obviously it's really exciting, all those [achievements]. I was thinking about those things when I was a kid, wanting to be in the Top 10 in the world and wanting to play in later rounds of huge competitions like this one. [But] I don't really set goals, because I feel like I'm living my dream by playing on these stages.”