British tennis star Jack Draper is hoping he can carry his good form into next year, after finishing 2023 by claiming victory in the Ultimate Tennis Championship Grand Final.
Nicknamed ‘The Power’ for the tournament, the 21-year old lifted the trophy in London thanks to winning each of his five matches.
That run culminated in an impressive defeat of world No. 8 Holger Rune by a 12-14, 15-12, 13-10, 19-7 scoreline.
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I’m so happy I’ve been able to play the way I can, and hopefully bring that into next year.
“We both brought the best out of each other there. It’s not easy with this format – it’s very difficult to stay consistent and play each point as it comes.”
Draper had never played in the UTS before this year, but took to the tournament like a duck to water.
The format, which is the brainchild of top coach Patrick Mouratoglou, sees players compete in “intense 40-minute matches” which are composed of four quarters that each last for eight minutes.
Live coaching is permitted and there is a lightning code of conduct, while ‘power-up cards’ impact the number of points a player can accumulate in a quarter.
Draper came through the tournament unbeaten, overcoming Rune, Gael Monfils and Alexander Bublik in the group stage, before hammering Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
Rune, on the other hand, came through the last-four with a victory over Andrey Rublev, even winning a point despite his opponent serving when he wasn’t ready.
He didn’t have enough to beat Draper in the final though, with the Brit pocketing a whopping £430,000 for his week’s work, the biggest payday of his career.
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