French Open: Draper still 'a long way behind' Sinner and Alcaraz after exit

Draper had been touted for a deep French Open run following an impressive start to 2025.

He beat Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final in March, then was beaten by Casper Ruud in the Madrid Open final last month.

Draper needed four sets to overcome Mattia Bellucci and Gael Monfils in his first two matches in Paris, before a straight-sets win over exciting Brazilian Joao Fonseca took him to the last 16.

But with a quarter-final showdown with Sinner at stake, Draper was beaten 5-7 6-3 6-2 6-4 by Alexander Bublik on Monday.

"I still think I'm a long way behind those boys. I still have lots to learn," Draper told reporters when asked about his chances of catching Sinner and Alcaraz.

"If you look at how many matches they've played, they've probably played double the amount that I've played. They're probably a year, two years ahead of me.

"I do have a lot to do to catch up with them, in all honesty. My level is getting better all the time, but it's not just the tennis.

"It's the consistency. Even though I've been more consistent, it's doing it when it matters, and these are the tournaments that matter."

Alexander Bublik had the right cards in hand to defeat Jack Draper #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/R9YgwZtwaC

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2025

Draper registered 12 victories on clay this year, having only previously managed nine wins on the surface in his career.

While proud of the progress he has made in recent months, the British number one accepts he fell short on Monday, adding: "Obviously I'm coming into the clay-court season having barely won any matches on the clay before. I keep that in mind, obviously, but I felt good.