Carlos Alcaraz declared he is ready to wreak “revenge” on Jack Draper when they clash in the Italian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday. The British No.1 shocked the Spanish superstar in the semi-finals at Indian Wells in March on his way to his first Masters title. Now the two meet again on the clay in the Italian capital of Rome, both seeking big wins before the French Open on May 25.
Victory for Alcaraz will see him reclaim the world No.2 spot from Alex Zverev and guarantee the No.2 seeding in Paris – and avoid Jannik Sinner until the final. And another win for the in-form Draper, who reached the final in Madrid, will see him enter the world’s top four for the first time. Alcaraz, who needed three sets to see of Karen Khachanov, said: “I’m just ready. I’m just looking forward to playing against him. He’s one of the best players in the world right now. The results shows how good is playing lately.
“Yeah, I just want to take revenge from Indian Wells. I will try to be more ready than Indian Wells. Is going to be an interesting match to watch and to play.
“I remember the match perfectly in Indian Wells. I remember I started really, really bad. I was really nervous at the beginning. I had to change a little bit. He was struggling physically at the second set, as well.
“I think we didn’t do anything spectacular. From his side in the first set, I think he didn’t do anything spectacular. He was really solid. I was making a lot of mistakes.
“In the second set, was the same. I didn’t do anything spectacular. Was just struggling and missing a lot. I had to learn from that match.
“I will try to start the match much better than I did in Indian Wells just with more rhythm, not making a lot of mistakes. I just try to get into the match and we’ll see. But I think we both will try to play aggressively. Who’s better will win.”
Draper is already up to a career-high ranking of world No.5 above Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz said “He’s really solid. He’s really solid. He’s really passionate. In every point, his shots are great, really aggressively. He’s trying to play as aggressive as he can, and that makes him really, really tough.
“Every point is a battle. Physically he improved a lot. With the serve, with everything, I mean, he’s really, really complete player. The British No.1 will face a fellow top-five player for the first time after his hard-fought three-set win over Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Draper said: “I don’t really think about it too much. Obviously I suppose we’re both in the top five in the world now. But I see it as just two guys who are playing great tennis going out there and wanting to win and beat each other and be competitive. I have big respect for him. I know what he’s going to bring.
“He’s going to be really tough to beat. I think we play tomorrow. So obviously there is a bit of a change in dynamic. I feel strong and I feel good about the match. I hope that I can bring some really good tennis. Let’s hope this week I can go another step.”
