This was a bitter loss for Rune because of how comprehensively he was outplayed at a time when he was confident and proud of his game. But Draper, a 23-year old, 6-foot-4 lefty has a wicked serve and a ground game that is both consistent and explosive. His progress as a pro has been slowed by injury and fitness issues, but those days seem past. He added an exclamation point to that at Indian Wells.
“I think I could have done my part better,” Rune told reporters after the match. “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.”
Rune praised Draper’s booming serve, which prevented the Dane from winning more than eight percent of Draper’s own first-serve points. Rune had no solution for Draper’s forehand, which is gigantic in spite of the fact that Draper, like Rafael Nadal, is a natural right-hander. Rune is one of those players who likes to swarm over opponents, pushing and overwhelming them with a straightforward power game. But you can add another name to the list of players Rune cannot successfully bully.
Rune is usually an opaque subject in the press interview room, a literal-minded young man given to speaking in broad platitudes. But he’s a complicated young man who has had to navigate complicated relationships with his mother and conflicts with a host of coaches. He has spent a lot of time spinning his wheels, unable to build further on that shocking win he crafted as a 19-year old at Paris Masters in the fall of 2022.
