Success brings rich rewards, but also challenges.
Late last year, Draper spoke publicly about the difficulties of short-term turnover and the “psychological” calendar of top players.
He made these comments while representing his country in Manchester’s Davis Cup a week after he was in the U.S. Open semifinal in New York.
In Madrid, Draper played four games in four days to reach the final and now hopes to have an impact on Italian clay, another ATP Masters Championship, an important part of French open architecture.
Extending the Madrid and Roma Championships to 12 days has sparked criticism, although this is the case – allowing players to reach more recovery times for the weekend – is considered a key reason for the move.
However, the 23-year-old Briton lost his first game in Miami after Indian Wells, six days after he won his first Masters 1,000 title.
Draper is confident that he can thrive on the clay courts of Rome and Roland Garros, where things are slower than Madrid.
He said: “Let's see, let's see.”
“I believe I play some really good tennis in any situation and I think if I do all the right things, I’m going to be a tough guy.
“After Monte Carlo, I wanted a little bit of a clay breakthrough because I knew what I brought in practice, but I was really struggling, so getting into Madrid was a little worried.
“I ended up getting hurt and ended up in the finals, but overall, I’m very proud of my weeks there.”
