Jack Draper has hailed his coach as ‘one of a kind’ after sealing his place in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
The world No.14 upset fourth seed Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4, to register only his third win over a top-five player on the Tour. At one stage in the match, Draper won six games in a row before his rival managed to stop him in his tracks. Overall, he hit 23 winners against 17 unforced errors and won 74% of service points. He now leads Fritz 3-2 in their head-to-head.
“I think I played a really high-level match,” Draper told reporters.
“I think I struggled here in the past with my serve, but I thought that I served great today, and I think that put a lot of pressure on him.
“Returned well, as well. I think everything was sort of clicking and I was really, really happy with my performance.”
Draper is yet to drop a set in the tournament. Earlier in the draw, he brushed aside Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-0, before beating America’s Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-4. He has now won 10 out of 12 matches played so far this season.
Overseeing Draper’s progress on the Tour is coach James Trotman who as a junior won the Wimbledon boy’s doubles title before embarking upon a successful coaching career. He has worked with numerous British players before teaming up with Draper in 2021 who has won two ATP titles and peaked at a ranking high of 12th under his guidance.
“He’s one of a kind,” Draper said of Trotman during an interview with the Tennis Channel.
“He hasn’t got hardly any ego at all. Not only does he know so much about tennis but he’s got such a good character and personality for me. He always wants to help and is always understanding of how, especially as a young player, we go through a lot off the court. He’s always been there for me and is always amazing.
“We have such a great relationship and a lot of respect for each other as well. It’s nice to be on the road with him and come through all these types of emotions.”
Shedding light on their partnership, Draper says the two have managed to find the right balance in coping with life on the Tour.
“We talk tennis and keep it very professional, but it’s also nice to be able to go out to dinner with someone and laugh and sort of take the mick out of each other and have a good time,” he explained.
“We’re living with each other all the time. I see him more than my mom or my dog, and I don’t want to! He probably gets tired of me as well. But we always have a good time. We want to win and have great success together, but we can still have a laugh.”
Draper will play Ben Shelton in his next match in Indian Wells. A win will move him into the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.
