Britain's top seed Jack Draper said he hopes to put on a “fantastic contest” when he faces his good friend Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
After covering the distance against Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Draper came back from two sets down to beat unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic and set up a match with Spaniard Alcaraz on Friday.
Draper couldn't be separated from his unheralded opponent until the deciding tiebreak, which he just did He qualified to win 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) at 12.55am..
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Watch excerpts from the Australian Open as Jack Draper beats Australian Aleksandar Vukic in five sets to set a fourth-round showdown against Carlos Alcaraz
Draper did not have the energy to celebrate, and after spending more than 12-and-a-half hours on the court during his three matches, he must now try to recover for his first Grand Slam showdown with third seed Alcaraz on Sunday.
Draper was due to spend a week training with Alcaraz in southern Spain last December, but that was spoiled by a thigh injury.
The pair have played three previous matches and Draper can take confidence after winning their last match at Queen's Club last summer – although he does not consider that particularly significant.
“Obviously the grass is a win, but I think he just came out of the French Open and had some time off,” Draper said. “I just won Stuttgart, and grass is a completely different ball game.
“I know what to expect from him. He's going to come out with a lot of energy, and he's obviously a special talent.
“I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances. Against the top players, you get less and less chances to win matches and sets and all that stuff.
“I need to be brave in the way I play, but I expect him to come out and I know I played three fives and I know he has a battle on his hands, and he's going to have to play well.” “It will be a great competition, I'm sure.”
Draper's credits in breathing technique changed
British No. 1 Draper credits the change in his breathing technique with improved physical endurance
Draper has physically collapsed in a number of matches, suffering muscle cramps several times, while vomiting after his first-round match here last year and during the US Open semifinals.
He believes anxiety played a role, but he also revealed he used the time he was sidelined with a hip injury in pre-season to work on changing the way he breathes during matches.
“I've been putting in a lot of work overall over time. It seems like by having that time on my hip, I've been able to focus on working on some different things.”
“I've been working a lot with a breathing coach and just trying to understand that a little better. So I think that really helps,” he continued.
“I had a lot of sinus problems when I was younger, so I breathe a lot through my mouth. Obviously, when you're anxious or when you have long points and you have to recover quickly, it's not a good idea to breathe through your mouth.
“So I've been trying to reverse what I'm doing and breathe through my nose a lot better. I think sometimes you don't realize how stressed your body is.”
“Especially me, because I've always been someone who likes to try hard, and I think that sometimes you just have to relax. Especially in tennis, because you need to be free to let your muscles do what they need to do. So obviously if you're tense all the time, “It won't last long.”
The 23-year-old from Sutton admitted his critics were right to doubt his staying power, but he was proud to have overcome those doubts with an impressive success against Vukic.
Asked if he had a message for those who doubt him, Draper was bluntly honest, saying: “No, not really.
“It's the truth. I finish in two sets most of the time. That's the way it is and that's something I realize and I needed to be better at that.
“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge endeavor forward, and the fact that I'm (capable) mentally and physically — three five-set matches, that doesn't happen very often. That's a testament to the work I've put in and where I'm at. So I'm very proud of that.”
“Obviously I'm not feeling super fresh right now, but I'll bounce back. I'll do my best to go back for another one.”
Can Draper recover for the final test?
Draper will have to play during the heat of the day against Alcaraz
He did not get off the field after Vukic's match on Friday night until 1am and was hoping for another night game against Alcaraz, but instead will have to play through the heat of the day with the match scheduled at Rod Laver Arena at 3.30pm. local time.
In more bad news for Draper, it is expected to be the hottest day of the tournament so far, with temperatures reaching the mid-30s, so it will be a serious test for his already tired body.
Draper, who has never made it past the second round here before, played in three of the tournament's 13 longest matches and spent more than 12-and-a-half hours on court — more than twice as long as Alcaraz, who only dropped one match. hiring.
Regarding how he is trying to recover, Draper said: “The main thing is not to think about tennis at all, stop it and just try to relax, and I hope the body is fine. I expect I will be.” Really painful.”
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