Jack Draper’s ‘change in mindset’ delivers first ATP Tour title in Stuttgart
Jack Draper in action against Matteo Berrettini on Sunday - AP/Marijan Murat
Jack Draper landed his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart – and spoiled the party for tournament sponsors Hugo Boss in the process.
It so happens that Draper’s opponent Matteo Berrettini has been a Boss model since 2022, and organisers did not bother to hide their bias. They even painted the prize – a Novus electric motorbike – in the same colours as Berrettini’s match kit.
But Draper forced a last-minute change of script as he came from a set down to complete a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.
“Unfortunately this bike is for the winner,” said Daniel Grieder, the Boss chief executive, who attended the presentation ceremony in an ill-advised white suit. “I covered it in the wrong colours, Matteo. It was actually for you!”
Speaking to reporters after the match, Draper saw the funny side of the mix-up. “They’re confident in their player,” he said, with a sardonic grin. “He’s an unbelievable player, so good on the grass, played the final at Wimbledon – it was probably inevitable that he was going to win.”
As for the bike, which retails for £19,000, Draper said: “It looked too precious to ride, to be honest. I’m not sure how I would look driving down Putney on one of those. Maybe I’ll order it in all-black like Batman.”
Embarrassing prize-givings apart, this was a hugely significant moment for the 22-year-old Draper, who will rise to become British No1 for the first time on Monday.
Until now, Draper’s career had been a story of incremental progress without a single defining achievement, whether in terms of an ATP title or a famous scalp.
These unticked boxes were surely preying on Draper’s mind when he added a new “supercoach” – the former world No 6 Wayne Ferreira – to his back-room team in early May. The appointment coincided with a dramatic change of approach, from defensive counter-puncher to big-hitting aggressor.
The early results were hardly encouraging. Playing on the clay – the worst surface for net-rushers or big servers – Draper recorded just one win in three tournaments. But as soon as he progressed to the grass, which rewards risk-takers, everything clicked.
“It was about trusting my serve and just trusting my game,” said Draper. “I don’t want to be a defensive player anymore. I want to play like a guy who’s 6ft 4in, instead of a guy who is 5ft 6in. I think that’s really benefited me this week. And I think ultimately it was a change in mindset, a penny-drop moment.”
The Stuttgart final was dominated by serve throughout. At one stage in the second set, Draper clocked up a game in less than a minute, landing four successive aces.
Berrettini was equally deadly with the ball in hand, and stood just two points from victory at 5-5 in the second-set tie-break. But then Draper’s stated intention to go after his shots came good.
Draper collapsed to the grass after his win - Getty Images/Thomas Niedermueller
First Draper lashed a clean winner off a rare Berrettini second serve, then he placed a neat volley into the open court to equalise at one set all. The momentum was with him, and some 45 minutes later he clinched victory with his 12th ace, before rolling onto his back in celebration.
Wimbledon seeding now likely
The result made Draper the 13th Briton to win an ATP title since the tour was formed in 1973. It also means that he will be ranked No 31 on Monday, which will probably earn him a seeding at Wimbledon.
“It means you’re not going to play a top player in the first couple of rounds,” said Draper, in relation to his likely position among the 32 seeds. “This year, I’ve played a lot of top-10, top-15 players in the first round, second round, and it’s been really hard to get going in these tournaments.
“Obviously everyone in the draw can play amazing tennis, but it does give you a bit of protection that you won’t play, say, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner. It’s a big achievement, a big goal of mine to be seeded in Wimbledon, and hopefully I can have a good run there.”
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