British No.1 Jack Draper says he is hoping for a “great race” when he takes on his good friend Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
After going the distance against Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Draper again came from two sets to one to beat unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic and set up a clash with Spain’s Alcaraz on Friday.
Draper could not be separated from his unsuspecting opponent until a decisive tie-break, which he simply managed a 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) victory at 12:55 p.m..
Draper barely had the energy to celebrate and, having spent more than 12-and-a-half hours on court during his three matches, must now try to recover for a first Grand Slam meeting with third seed Alcaraz on Sunday.
Draper was due to spend a week training with Alcaraz in southern Spain in December, but that was scuppered by his groin injury.
The pair have played three previous matches and Draper can take confidence from winning their most recent contest at Queen’s Club last summer – although he doesn’t see it as particularly important.
“Bari is obviously a win, but I think he just came off the French Open and had some time off,” Draper said. “I had just won Stuttgart and grass is a completely different ball game.
“I know what to expect from him. He will come out with a lot of energy and is definitely a special talent.
“I have to be aggressive. I have to take my chances. Against the best players, you have fewer and fewer chances to win matches and sets and all that stuff.
“I have to be brave in the way I play, but I expect him to come out and know that I have played three players with five players and I know he has a battle on his hands and he will have to play well. It will be a great race, I’m sure.
Draper credits vary in breathing technique
British No. 1 Draper has credited a change in his breathing technique for improving physical endurance
Draper has broken down physically in a number of matches, battling cramps several times while vomiting after his first-round match here last year and during the US Open semifinals.
He believes anxiety played a part, but also revealed he used his time on the sidelines with a thigh injury in pre-season to work on changing the way he breathes during games.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work in general over time. It seems like maybe, having that time off with my hip, I’ve been able to focus on working on a few different things.”
He continued: “I was working a lot with a breathing coach and just trying to understand that a little bit better. So I think that really helps.
“I had a lot of sinus problems when I was younger, so I breathe through my mouth a lot. Of course when you are anxious or when you have long points and need to recover quickly, it is not efficient to breathe through your mouth. .
“So I’ve been trying to reverse what I do and breathe through my nose a lot better. I think sometimes you don’t realize how tight your body is.
“Especially me, because I’ve always been someone who likes to try hard, and I think sometimes you have to relax. Especially in tennis, because you have to be free to let your muscles do what they have to do. So , obviously, if you’re tense all the time, you won’t last long.”
The 23-year-old from Sutton admitted his critics were right to question his staying power but was proud to have put those doubts to bed with a stunning success against Vukic.
Asked if he had a message for those who doubted him, Draper was bluntly honest, saying: “No, not really.
“It’s the truth. I’m done after two sets most of the time. That’s the way it is and it’s something I’m aware of and I had to be better at it.
“I still have a long way to go, but this is a big push forward, the fact that I’m mentally and physically (fit) – three five-set matches, it doesn’t happen often. It’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in. So I’m very, very proud of that.
“I’m definitely not feeling too fresh right now, but I’ll be back. I’ll do my best to go again for another one.”
Can Draper recover for the final test?
Draper will have to play in the heat of the day against Alcaraz
He did not leave the court after Vukic’s match on Friday night until 1am and had hoped for another night match against Alcaraz, but will instead have to play in the heat of the day with the match scheduled at Rod Laver Arena at 3:30 p.m. local time.
More bad news for Draper, it’s forecast to be the hottest day of the tournament so far, with temperatures in the mid-30s, so it will be a serious test for his already tired body.
Draper, who had never been beyond the second round here before, played in three of the tournament’s longest 13 matches and spent more than 12 1/2 hours on court – more than twice as long as Alcaraz , who has lost only one. established.
On how he would try to recover, Draper said: “The main thing is just to not think about tennis at all and get away from it and try to relax, and hopefully the body will be OK. I expect to be really painful.”
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