“Obviously played him in Paris,” Draper recalled in his post-match press conference. “I think, you know, the courts there was like playing on ice. There were no rallies. It was very different to what I was expecting today. I didn’t really think about that match-up.
“I know Taylor likes playing here in the desert. It’s high bouncing. Tough to get a read on his serve. He plays very aggressive tennis. I knew it would be very difficult.”
Draper looked to Trotman to help prepare him for the big match, both tactically and emotionally as he now aims to make his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
“We talk tennis and keep it very professional, but it’s also nice to be able to go out to dinner with someone and laugh and sort of take the mick out each other and have a good time,” said Draper, who next faces another American in No. 11 seed Ben Shelton. “We’re living with each other all the time. I see him more than my mom or my dog, and I don’t want to! He probably gets tired of me as well. But we always have a good time. We want to win and have great success together, but we can still have a laugh.”
