Holger Rune took on Jack Draper in the UTS Grand Final in London and lost to him, warning the rest of the ATP Tour that the Brit is playing on a Top 10 level.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London gave us a first glimpse of some pretty big names that could play some amazing tennis in 2024. Holger Rune was at the event, as was Jack Draper, and these two faced each other in the final.
It was an interesting match, but the home player ultimately took the win with a sensational performance in the final, which impressed Rune quite a bit. Draper has been known as a pretty talented player for a while now but struggled greatly with injuries in the past year.
He seems to have finally rid himself of those problems, and this win over Rune shouldn't be a huge surprise. According to the Danish player, Draper played at a Top 10 level and that sounds about right.
He played very well. I think he played sometimes out of his mind a little bit. Congrats to him, he played great tennis. If he plays like this he can for sure go I think top 15, and why not top 10 also. But it’s not just doing it for one week, you have to do it more times in a row. We’ll see. He has a great serve.
Draper is a very aggressive player and can play out of control a bit, as Rune said. With time he'll find a good balance within his approach, but winning this event should be a really confidence-boosting achievement for him.
The season picks up quickly Down Under, and getting there in good shape could be greatly beneficial. Rune is not the only one who thinks greatly of Draper, as Casper Ruud had some big things to say about him after losing to him.
He has huge potential. I’ve seen it before, not just today. Watching him on TV, I always thought this guy can play, he’s going to be a good player.