Jack Draper ridiculed by fans for 'bragging' about reading 10 pages during Madrid Open blackout fiasco

Jack Draper was recently asked about how he spent time during the power crisis that brought proceedings at the 2025 Madrid Open to a grinding halt. In response, the Brit claimed that he read about 10 pages of a book. This admission though, backfired, as many tennis fans ridiculed the ATP No. 6.

After securing a walkover win over Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Madrid Open, Draper said that he enjoyed the blackout that resulted in the suspension of 22 matches at the combined ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 claycourt event on Monday, April 28.

"I was actually enjoying it. I’m a bit of a minimalist.. It was actually so nice to have no phones and none of that other bullshit going on in the world. You just try and focus on what’s important. I ended up reading like 10 pages of a book. Usually I don’t read at all. So it was interesting," Draper said during his post-match, on-court interview.

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Jack Draper's candid admission didn't go down well with several tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter). Most of them ridiculed the Brit over his book-reading confession, suggesting that going through 10 pages during a six-hour blackout is nothing to be proud of.

"The blackout lasted six hours and this man is bragging about 10 pages read in that time period," a fan wrote.

"10 pages of a book takes about 5 minutes to read," commented another.

"The day he finds out that some of us read those 10 pages without a blackout, his head will explode," another fan chimed in.

"Hahahahaha 10 pages for a whole day of blackout," wrote one fan.

"10 pages in ten hours? Oh dear…," another added.

"The way he willingly admitted he only read ten pages the entire day is killing me," weighed in yet another fan.

Draper's next challenge in Madrid is to get past ATP No. 12, Tommy Paul.

Jack Draper to clash against Tommy Paul in Madrid Open 4R

On Wednesday, April 30, Jack Draper is slated to lock horns with Tommy Paul for a place in the 2025 Madrid Open's men's singles quarterfinals. Draper has the edge over Paul when it comes to the pair's ATP Tour-level head-to-head.

The Brit and the American have faced each other on five previous occasions, with Draper emerging victorious thrice. However, the last time they clashed, it was Paul who came out on top. The match was a thrilling quarterfinal contest at the 2024 Queen's Club Championships, where Paul defeated Draper 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The American eventually went on to win the grasscourt title.

The winner of the match between Jack Draper and Tommy Paul in Madrid will go on to face either Frances Tiafoe or Matteo Arnaldi.

About the author

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Beyond Tennis, Sudipto also has an interest in music, football, and video games alongside cooking and traveling.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati