World No. 6 Jack Draper commented on his victory over Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters, winning 6-2, 6-2.
Q: Jack, you`ve reached your first Masters quarter-final on clay. Are you surprised at all?
A: Not really, no. I don`t want to sound arrogant, but I always felt I could achieve something significant on clay; it just takes time. Growing up and training back home when I was younger, I always felt comfortable on this surface. Of course, the level is completely different now. It feels good to prove to myself and everyone else that I am strong on clay and can be a dangerous opponent.
Q: Yesterday you mentioned that British players don`t play much on clay, but you emphasized `no excuses`. Can you talk about the culture you`re building within your team?
A: Everyone has their own approach, right? But for those like me who don`t play on clay often, it`s easy to start thinking it`s not their surface. If I want to be a top player and compete at the elite level for many years, I need to be consistent everywhere. For me, this is a challenge. I believe I can achieve great things on clay. We`ll see, time will tell, Draper said in his on-court interview.
