Draper entered the Australian Open alongside eight British hopefuls, only he returns for the Fourth Round. The British number one faces tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz in a bid to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The rounds have not been kind to British hopefuls, with three players already drawing top-five ranked opponents. Raducanu was fated to lose to Swiatek, Burrage to now top-ranked Coco Gauff, and Fearnley to Zverev.
Despite facing, and beating, Alcaraz at Queens last summer; Jack Draper may have felt that this was an impossible match to prepare for. The Spaniard has won four Grand Slams already and has been World number one on several occasions.
Nevertheless, Carlos Alacaraz has never reached beyond the quarter-final of the Australian Open. This is a must-win tournament for Alcaraz to complete his Grand Slam collection and a tough challenge for Draper to find his first Grand Slam trophy.
This is a fourth-round recap of the only Brit who remains in the Australian Open. To catch up on how Draper and British tennis’ other prospects performed in the earlier rounds, click the links below:
- Australian Open – How Did the Brits Play In Round One?
- British Tennis Down Under – Australian Open Round Two
- Three Brits Remain – Australian Open Round Three
Jack Draper vs Carlos Alcaraz
5-7 | 1-6
Draper entered the match with an aura of optimism about him. He managed to gain a couple of points returning Alcaraz’s powerful serve, before holding his own serve.
The first set continued in a fashion that was Draper standing his ground and at times looking like his prime self. This showed through gaining the chance to break Alcaraz early on, but the Spaniard saved the break point and managed to hold on to his serve.
Alcaraz broke the British number one first in impressive fashion, only allowing Draper to earn one point. The Brit did manage to break back later in the set but he was slowing down, whilst Carlos Alcaraz was just getting started.
Draper just had to hold onto his serve to take the first set to a tiebreak. Alas, the Spaniard was playing some of his most impressive tennis and managed to break Jack in the final game, taking the set.
The second set did not flatter Draper any further, and it was clear that he was upset. Beginning the set with confidence, Jack almost broke Alcaraz’s first service game however after just a single deuce point the Spaniard managed to hold.
Following the first game, Alcaraz was dominant. He broke Draper straightaway and held on to his own game to be just three games from a two-set lead. After holding his second service game of the set, Draper looked in discomfort however pushed himself to finish the set.
He lost every remaining game in that set and then was forced to retire from the match handing Carlos Alcaraz a pass through to the quarter-finals.
What was wrong with Draper?
Following the Brit’s retirement from the match, Alcaraz wrote a kind-hearted message on the camera to Jack.
“You will be where you deserved. Get well soon Jack.”
The two clearly have a friendly off-court relationship, despite being rivals so often in their brief careers.
Draper had issues leading up to the tournament and skipped the United Cup so that he would be fit to play in the Australian Open. Despite this, the Grand Slam proved to be too intense as Draper revealed that he was taking painkillers to cope with hip tendinitis.
The Brit knew about his hip issue and has now described it as a “ticking time bomb” and that he must take time to recover to avoid a long-lasting and serious injury.
Other Brits have fought through injuries recently. Notably, Andy Murray had a serious hip injury that he had to deal with for much of the latter end of his career.
25-year-old Jodie Burrage faced horrific recurring injuries over the last two years and was close to retiring from tennis altogether. Emma Raducanu also famously struggled following her US Open victory and dropped over 300 ranks due to forced absence from tournaments.
So why do these issues happen so often to younger players? Tennis is an extremely intense sport that requires a lot of stretching and quick turns. Players will take part in several matches a week for almost an entire year straight, often only getting a decent break after bailing out of a competition in the early rounds.
Players such as Raducanu and Draper can aim to rise in rankings extremely fast and have to train intensely to do so. Sometimes, however, it can be important to focus on longevity rather than instant success.
Looking towards the rest of the year.
Being in the final 16 in the Australian Open before bowing out to a five-time Grand Slam winner is still very honourable. It’s the second furthest Draper has made it in a Grand Slam, following his semi-final visit to New York.
All the ATP 1000s and three other Grand Slams lie further into the year, and following a decent spell of recovery Draper should be fit to take part. Hopefully, he doesn’t stay injured for too long, however, even if he misses the next few major tournaments it is fairly unlikely he will drop out of a Grand Slam-seeded position.
Whilst Draper will aim to reach the top 10 by winning more significant scoring titles, the other British tennis players will also be ambitious. Jacob Fearnley will be seeking his first ATP title, and Katie Boulter will also be looking to rise further towards the top 10.
Emma Raducanu will aim to continue her recovery, and hopefully win her first career title in over a year. Ultimately, all British players will aim to play at Wimbledon and with young talents such as Mimi Xu, Hannah Klugman, and 2023 Wimbledon boys champion Henry Searle coming onto the senior circuits it looks like it will be an excellent year for British Tennis.
Do you think that 2025 will prove to be a positive year in British Tennis? Let us know in the comments or on social media @TheDeckNews