From Setbacks to Surprises: Jack Draper’s Unexpected Journey at the US Open

Jack Draper had made it one of his goals this season: to reach the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. But after two eliminations in the 1st round at Melbourne and Roland-Garros then a package at home at Wimbledon, the Englishman probably thought he had to postpone this ambition until 2023. Especially since his optimism was at its lowest before the US Open. Last week, he had given up in the second round to Winston Salem, again because of his shoulder.

It was a summer in hell for the young Draper, absent from the courts for two and a half months after Roland-Garros. He had resumed competition in the Challenger in Vancouver in mid-August (defeat in the quarter-finals against the Frenchman Arthur Cazaux), before aligning himself with Winston Salem. His physical fragility took him out of the Top 100 in the ATP rankings three weeks ago, when he joined the top 40 in the world last February. He arrived at Flushing Meadows with bib 123 on his back, not exactly going on an irresistible momentum.

After injuries, happiness for Draper: the summary of his demonstration against Hurkacz

My only goal when I came back this summer was to not hurt myself

However, here he is in the round of 16. To his own (pleasant) surprise. Eight days ago, he gave himself no more than a 30% chance of playing this US Open. “At the beginning of the week, clearly, there was a big concern around my body, he explained after his victory on Saturday against one of the members of the American colony, Michael Mmoh. I did not know if I would be able to play a single match. Especially in three winning sets. It’s completely different.”

But so far the physique holds up, and when it does, the Brit is a customer. He knows it, he plays with a Damocles sword over his shoulder. “I was told that I had a small tear, adds Draper. We didn’t know if it was related to my previous injury, which was quite serious. In the end, it’s not that, it relieved me “My only goal when I came back this summer was not to get injured again. So to play like that this week is really special.”

Especially since it traced its course at high speed in this first week. Before giving up a set to Mmoh, he had dispatched Radu Albot and especially Hubert Hurkacz in three sets. Quite improbably, even if he is still young (he will be 22 next December), Jack Draper won against Michael Mmoh the very first match of his career in more than three sets.

“Even if I was Top 50, in Grand Slam, I did not exist. But I had difficult tables. So I could not show my progress as much as I would have liked”, specifies he. Besides Nadal in Australia this year, he had to struggle with Djokovic entering Wimbledon in 2021, or even De Minaur and Kachanov.

Nadal is doing well against Draper: the end of the match

Heading for Rublev

It is therefore when we least expected it that it arises. But New York succeeds rather well while summarizing its big black spot. Last year, he reached the 3rd round. A first for him in Grand Slam at the time. But he could not go to the end of this match, giving up against Khachanov, future semi-finalist.

So when Michael Mmoh took the 3rd set from him on Saturday, knowing the precariousness of his condition, he wondered if he was going to be able to hold on. “I thought about last year on the court today (Saturday), he confessed after the fact. I was afraid that it would be like in the movie” Groundhog Day “and it would start again But it’s proof that I’ve worked a lot physically in a year and I’m proud of that, proud of myself.”

McEnroe: ‘If he stays fit, Draper will have a bright future ahead of him’

Whatever happens, as long as he is not injured, this US Open will mark an important date in his career. Can he go from satisfaction to divine surprise? A quarter-final? Any further ? He looks like a little thumb in this busy top of the table. But if, as he points out, “I am a competitor and I did not come here just to try to win a match. Being happy to play is not enough. I want to win, always.”

His next target, Andrey Rublev, is one hell of a piece. “He’s been in the Top 10 for ages, he’s got great results, he won his first Masters 1000 this year and he’s been so consistent at Grand Slams. It’s going to be tough,” Draper admitted. But if the body holds, not sure it’s so easy for the Russian.

2023-09-03 22:10:00
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