Jack Draper trying not to think like a player from the UK after Madrid Open loss

has admitted that he doesn't want to fall into the trap of doubting himself on clay just because he's British. The world No. 6 reached his first clay-court final at the Madrid Open, . Before this week, Draper had never been beyond the quarters at any tour-level event on the surface.

But he made a statement at the Caja Magica and didn't drop a set in his first five matches. While players from the UK typically struggle on the clay, growing up playing on other surfaces instead, Draper explained that he had to shake off that mentality in order to prove himself.

The 23-year-old has already sent a message to the rest of the field, showing he can be dangerous on any surface. Even Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist, told his opponent that he had become a "threat" on the dirt.

After enjoying a breakthrough tournament on the surface, Draper admitted that he could have been easy to write himself off because he is British.

"I suppose just very proud of the way my mindset is on the clay," the Madrid runner-up said.

"Maybe Andy [Murray] was the same, because he's done, obviously, so well on the clay courts as well. But it's easy from someone from, say, the UK who doesn't play much on the surface to think, 'Oh, I'm not great on this. I'm not going to be any good'.

"Whereas I know that it's going to be a challenge for me, but I'm going to give it my best effort to do well on it and find ways to be effective. I'm proud of the way I've approached that, and I think with that mindset, you can go a long way."

While some have doubted him, Draper has always believed he can perform on the red clay, he just needed the opportunity to prove it. Now, he wants to carry his momentum into Rome and Paris.

He added: "It's been a bit like, you know, I'm not very good on the clay. Whereas I knew I was good on the clay.

"I had a couple of really tight losses last year, and I just needed to get my foot in the door somewhere to show that I'm able to compete to a really high level on this surface.

"I think still the biggest positive I'm taking away is the fact that I'm still learning how to move and play on this surface, and I'm right there. I'm competing with the best clay courters, the best guys on this surface in the world.

"So I take big encouragement from that, and I hope that I can carry on that next week in Rome, the French.

"And I think that gives me also big confidence going into maybe a surface that's a bit faster, which I enjoy more, to think, 'Wow, like, I'm doing this on the clay, what can I take out onto the other surfaces as well?'"

Draper will move to a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world when the rankings update on Monday.

With Jannik Sinner returning from a ban, Carlos Alcaraz facing an injury setback, and Novak Djokovic out of form, he has proven he can be a real contender at the French Open.