“He’s going to be dangerous” – Rune issues Draper warning after UTS Grand Final
Holger Rune has warned that Jack Draper could soon reach the top 10 if he consistently plays as he well as he did at the UTS Grand Final
Jack Draper UTS Grand Finals – Tennis Majors / UTS
Holger “The Viking” Rune, the beaten finalist at the UTS Grand Final in London, has lavished praise on the tournament’s champion, Jack “The Power” Draper who swept past him 3-1 on Sunday evening to claim the trophy.
The Dane has described Draper’s level as being that of a top 10 player on the ATP Tour, saying the 21-year-old Brit is capable of beating anyone.
“How he’s playing today is for sure top-10 tennis,” Rune declared after the final in London. “He can beat almost everyone when he plays like this.”
Rune: “i think he played sometimes out of his mind”
Despite Draper only being ranked No 61 in the world, Rune has warned the rest of the ATP Tour that the Brit is dangerous heading into 2024.
Draper defeated Rune twice in the span of three days at the UTS Grand Final, once in Group B match play (16-8, 16-7, 17-11) and a second time in the event’s final, winning 12-14, 15-12, 13-10, 19-7.
“He played very well,” Rune shared after Sunday’s match at the London ExCel. “I think he played sometimes out of his mind a little bit. Congrats to him, he played great tennis.”
The Dane was quick to warn his fellow tennis players of Draper’s level this weekend, saying that with consistency, the 21-year-old could join himself and other young players at the top of the game.
“If he plays like this he can for sure go I think top 15, and why not top 10 also,” said Rune. “If he plays like this consistently throughout the year he can [join Rune, Alcaraz and Sinner]. 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.”
Earlier in the day, Casper “The Iceman” Ruud had echoed Rune’s sentiment, speaking to Draper’s massive potential after his 3-0 semi-final loss to the Brit:
“He has huge potential,” said Ruud. “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.
“He has the potential to climb so much higher, definitely a player that I can see breaking into the top 10, maybe if not this year, then 2025. He has the ability, I am really impressed. It’s cool for British tennis.”
Positives for Rune ahead of 2024
While Rune was understandably disappointed to have lost in the final of the UTS Grand Final, the Dane is taking positives from his performance heading into 2024.
“It’s been a great challenge,” he shared. “It’s been much harder than playing normal tournaments, so it’s a great preparation for the next season.”
On his match against Draper in the final, The Viking was honest about his performance:
“I thought when I won the first quarter, getting a lead… I thought I was in control of the match,” Rune confessed.
“[I was] not good enough. I played better than the first match against him for sure. He was feeling it though, playing some unbelievable tennis. In the second quarter, I felt like I was kind of on him, but he just managed to pull some shots out that I was surprised by.”
The 20-year-old now has a fortnight to continue his off-season training, before competing in Brisbane ahead of the Australian Open in January 2024.
