Jack Draper jumps above Novak Djokovic with superb Madrid Open semi-final run
The British No.1 is on fire!
British tennis star Jack Draper will move past Novak Djokovic in the world rankings after his 6-0 6-4 Madrid Open win over Matteo Arnaldi.
Draper dominated the unseeded Italian in the last eight – with a bagel in the first set – and the 23-year-old will next face 10th-seed Lorenzo Musetti or Canadian lucky loser Gabriel Diallo in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
The result means the Briton is set to enter the world top five for the first time in his career, with Serbian tennis legend Djokovic falling below him in the live standings, which become official when they’re updated on Monday.
Djokovic, who is currently being coached by Andy Murray, suffered a shock opening defeat to Arnaldi in the Spanish capital to continue his poor form and rumours the 24-time major champion could soon enter retirement.
Draper and Djokovic are both getting ready for the second Grand Slam of the year – the French Open – which gets underway in Paris on May 25, and their current fortunes on the ATP Tour could not be much more different.
British No.1 Draper, who clinched his third ATP Tour title at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament in March, has been in fine form and is hoping to emerge victorious at a clay-court event for the first time out in Spain.
It is somewhat unusual for British players to shine on the red dirt but Draper, speaking earlier this week, admitted he must perform well on all three surfaces to be a ‘top player in the world for many years to come’.
