Jack Draper receives royal congratulations from Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton after Indian Wells heroics

Englishman Jack Draper has received royal congratulations after his heroic performance in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Draper won his first Masters title in emphatic style, defeating World No. 13 Holger Rune in straight sets, 6-2 6-2.

Rune was never in the match, as Draper dominated from the opening exchanges. The Brit's serve was his key weapon, but his aggression against Rune's serve saw him break the Dane's opening two service games to lead 4-0. Rune lost his opening serve of the second set and was unable to cope with Draper's power serving at any point in the encounter.

Draper received universal acclaim for his performance, but he'll possibly be more excited by the congratulatory message from The Prince and Princess of Wales. Issued through their X (formerly Twitter) account, William and Kate were quick to honor their compatriot:

"Congratulations, Jack. A fantastic performance. Well done.👏🏆"

British royalty have a long-term connection to tennis. Royal patronage of Wimbledon dates back to 1907 when King George V became the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club President. Kate Middleton is a committed tennis fan, and player, and is the current Patron of the AELTC.

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What made Jack Draper's performance in the Indian Wells Open 2025 special?

Jack Draper with the BNP Paribas Open 2025 Trophy - Source: Getty

Jack Draper's win in Indian Wells was all the more remarkable for the fact that it was his first ATP 1000 title. The 23-year-old had given a glimpse of his potential at the US Open last year when he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal. He was beaten in straight sets by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Draper went on to show that he had plenty left to offer despite that loss, and a series of injuries that stunted his season. After his victory over Rune, he jumped to No. 7 in the world, and in the post-game interview, as reported by skysports.com, he was excited by his performance and new ranking. He said:

"It's incredible. I wasn't expecting this. I put in a lot of work over time. I'm just so grateful and happy to be out here to play with my body feeling healthy and feeling great in my mind. All the work I've done over the last few years, it feels like it's all coming together on the big stage. I cannot put that into words. To say I'm going to seventh in the world. I cannot tell you how much that means to me."

Now that Jack Draper has caught the attention of his future King and Queen, he can go from strength to strength. While experienced and knowledgeable pundits like Rennae Stubbs have already touted him as a future Wimbledon champion, it remains to be seen if he can maintain his momentum to match such expectations.