Holger Rune may be taking on an opponent two years his senior in Sunday’s BNP Paribas Open championship match, but it is the Dane that trumps Jack Draper for experience when it comes to getting over the line at an ATP Masters 1000.
More than two years since he triumphed at the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, Rune returned to a Masters 1000 final for the first time since May 2023 (Rome) by downing Daniil Medvedev on Saturday in Indian Wells. The 21-year-old Dane, who will also return to the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings after 11 months away if he lifts the trophy in California, believes he is ready to take another big step in his young career.
“I think the thing is that I'm more experienced mentally,” said Rune, when asked about his development since his breakthrough 2022 season. “I'm stressing less than I was back then. I think I see things a bit more clear now than I did back then… I feel like I'm very clear in my mindset. I have to go for it. Also tomorrow, it's not going to be handed to me. It's a lot of work.”
Final bound!🎾🔥@holgerrune2003 was clinical #InAttack 🎯 and rock-solid in defense💪
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 15, 2025
Can he go all the way?🤔🏆👇#ConversionScore calculates the percentage of points won when the player has been #InAttack#StealScore calculates how often a player has won the point when… pic.twitter.com/ZSh9MfvCKz
Rune has struggled to consistently find his best form across the past two seasons and has not lifted a tour-level title since Munich in 2023. His opponent Draper has also endured his fair share of low points in the past few years, although his most difficult battles have been with injuries.
Even after lifting his maiden ATP Tour titles in Stuttgart and Vienna, respectively, during his personal-best 2024 season, Draper’s 2025 began with him withdrawing from the United Cup due to a hip problem. Since returning, he has so far put together a 13-2 start to the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by Saturday’s three-set win against two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz that earned him a spot in his maiden Masters 1000 final.
“Relief, joy, just a huge feeling of big emotion,” said Draper, when asked how he felt after sinking Alcaraz in Indian Wells. “I have been through a lot in my few years with playing and especially the last ones with some injuries, and a lot of hard work to sort of always try and get back to a decent level.
“It was my goal at the end of last year that I obviously already had some good results, but I want to really achieve some consistency and get to the point where I'm pushing these top players in the world in the biggest tournaments.”
Rune and Draper have contested only one previous Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, with the Dane prevailing 6-4, 6-2 in the Cincinnati quarter-finals last August. The 12th-seeded Rune, whose all-court game has earned him wins against seeds Ugo Humbert, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Medvedev so far during his Indian Wells run, is not reading too much into that past victory.
“It was very different conditions than here. Much faster surface,” recalled Rune of his Cincinnati clash with Draper. “It was a good match for me. Again, he's gained a lot of confidence. He's been improving. He's a lefty. Great serve. I think he's been serving well this tournament. Yeah, he's going to be excited.”
The 13th-seeded Draper will step onto Stadium 1 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Sunday knowing he has already secured one big milestone this weekend: By beating Alcaraz, the 23-year-old ensured he will on Monday rise into the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. Yet he will not be resting on his laurels as he aims to become only the second British singles champion in Indian Wells after 2021 titlist Cameron Norrie.
“I'm looking forward to tomorrow already. I'll make sure I look after my recovery, not thinking about too much [about the Alcaraz victory],” said Draper, who is guaranteed to rise to at least World No. 8 on Monday, and No. 7 if he wins the title. “That's the thing with tennis. You've got to get over wins like today, and all my focus and energy is on making sure that I do all the right things to give myself the best chance to win the tournament tomorrow.”
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