Jack Draper smashes racquet, then goes on to win and reach Italian Open last 16

ITALY: Jack Draper admitted he let his frustration and emotions show during a fierce match against world No. 92 Vit Kopriva in the third round of the Italian Open. 

Despite the Briton winning with a final scoreline of  6-4, 6-3 in Rome and earning a spot in the last 16, Draper lost his temper midway through the second set. While leading 3-1 and with a chance to break serve again, the athlete missed four break points, smashed his racquet several times into the clay, and then angrily threw it down next to his seat.

With this, Draper told Sky Sports: “I’m human, we don’t always wake up feeling great.” 

He added: “I get out of bed, and I feel so angry some days, but I’ve got to play a tennis match, and I’ve got to go through those ups and downs too… I’ve played a lot of tennis and lots of matches, and I’m getting used to that, my ranking is going up, and I’m getting to compete week in, week out, and it’s taking some getting used to from a mental and physical perspective.” 

“I want to keep going, but sometimes it’s difficult to always be perfect. The more I’m playing, the more my confidence is building.” 

Highlights of the match

Draper had a tough challenge against Vit Kopriva, whom he deemed an “unknown player”. Kopriva was playing in his ATP 1000 event debut and had never gone this far in the competition. 

Draper’s solid serving helped him win the first set 6-4. Moreover, Draper broke Kopriva’s serve to go ahead 4-3. There were only three break points in the whole set, and Draper took advantage of his opportunity. Kopriva got a chance when Draper served for the set, but Draper stayed calm and finished it off to take the lead.

After losing his temper and smashing his racquet, Draper won three of the next four games and sealed the win with a third break of serve in the match.

Draper expressed: “It was a tough match, especially against a guy who is a bit unknown, but he’s won a lot of matches here… I felt a bit low on energy, my feet weren’t working as well as I wanted them to, but I tried to fight hard and find a way.” 

“The frustration boiled out a bit too much in the end, but I stayed at it and came through,” he added. 

In a social media post, Draper shared: “💯 on the board”

Netizens commented on the post and said: “Keep strong. You have lots of support”, “Congratulations, Big Man! Keep pushing! ❤️”, and “Great fight Jack👏👏👏We, all huge fan of you are proud of you very much🙌🙌🙌Let’s go Jack🔥🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️”

Moving forward in the tournament, Draper will now face Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who earned his first-ever top 10 win by defeating ninth seed Holger Rune in three sets.