Holger Rune acknowledged in his press conference that Jack Draper “deserved to win” their Indian Wells final battle but also felt that he could have been more aggressive in his opportunities and probably put more pressure on the Briton.
After becoming the first player since 2022 to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the desert, the British tennis star backed up that win by also ousting the Dane 6-2 6-2 for his first Masters title.
Early in the match, it was all Draper as he started with back-to-back breaks and a 4-0 lead before serving out for the opener in the eighth game. In the second set, the new world No. 7 earned two more breaks to routinely complete the job. During the final, he fired 10 aces – and converted four of his seven break point opportunities – all while not facing a single break point.
Reflecting on the loss, Rune didn’t hide that Draper was all over him on Sunday but also couldn’t help himself but wonder what could have been if he trusted his shots more.
Rune: I wasn’t really trusting every shot of my game…
“I think I could have done my part better. Like the opportunities I had to play aggressive just weren’t good enough, I think it’s a matter of fact that I haven’t committed — I mean, I have been playing well in this tournament, been playing tactically very wisely, but I haven’t played, like, fully committed to my aggressive game still,” the world No. 12 explained.
“I think that’s what was the reason why I lost today, because when I had to take — like, how can I explain the best way? Jack was playing extremely well, but the few chances I had to make it difficult for him, I didn’t quite take them, because I wasn’t really trusting every shot of my game today.”
Had Rune beaten Draper, he would have collected his first title since winning 2023 Munich. While the 21-year-old’s title drought continues, making his first Masters final in two years was definitely a step in the positive direction.
Now, Rune will try to build on that at the Miami Masters.
Tennis World USA