Jack Draper Press Conference | 2024 US Open

Jack your thoughts on the match please um yeah I thought it was it was good in general uh pretty solid um you know I think first set um I was I was not serving amazingly well um but the rest of my game was pretty solid um I had had chances um you know where he had he had break points and um you know I saved him played some good tennis and then I think uh I got better as the match went on you know I was a bit lethargic at the start I thought you know it's tough I'm still learning how to play five sets almost you know and knowing that I don't have to come out and you know be be fully energized so I have to kind of pace myself in these matches because it is it is potentially a very long match um but I thought I did a did a really good job overall and um my performance and everything I think got better as the match went on name and affiliation one question each so I can get to as many people as possible Simon Simon from the telegraph uh obviously the previous round with botic winning was one of the biggest surprises we've seen in a long time um is it mentally difficult when people are saying oh wow what great chance that means for you yeah definitely um I mean to be honest I I wasn't really thinking about it you know I I think I've learned through playing lots of matches now on the tour and um against against really good players that you know I I understand that even though you know Carlos is is obviously a champion and an amazing player you know I wasn't thinking about playing him you know I was just thinking about my recovery you know I I watched that match obviously and I know that you know on on their day you know someone like a bti is extremely dangerous so you know I wasn't I wasn't putting it past him to to go out there and you know potentially have an upset against Carlos um but you know I think it is sometimes difficult you know when people are saying oh like should definitely win this match you know because he's why it's like he's just beaten the number two in the world who's you know won multiple Grand Slams this year you know he's obviously he's obviously played a really good match and can definitely beat me too so um is difficult but at the same time you know it was a good opportunity for me to to go out there and and play play a solid match and and know that also it's not easy for him as well you know having just you know had probably the biggest win of his career on on the biggest stage in the world and have to back up again you know so um was was a good match from my side I'm happy with the way I've dealt with the situation and my performance in general sure congrats I just wanted to ask you um how you feel now compared to when you played at this stage a year ago I guess like physically and also just think about you know dealing with the the big occasion and that sort of thing yeah I mean I feel very different uh to last year I think I was you I barely played any tennis in the year uh struggling with injuries all the time um and then obviously came here I think um you know I was I was still sort of very nervous and unsure before matches you know whether I'd get through this one am I going to cramp in this one am I going to break down physically in this one get injured or something like this you know I was still really struggling with a shoulder injury when I played here last year you know I feel very different now I'm I'm I'm not waking up every worried about playing Five sets and you know I'm I'm sort of I have so much more confidence in my mind and my body through you know experiences of playing on the tour now this year um consistently um you know that's that's the thing it's weird it kind of feels like I've played a lot of matches but at the same time you know this is my first proper year on tour and I'm I'm learning and understanding myself better all the time um so you know I think that be the same next year when I come here you know I'll be a lot more you know just just a better around player mentally physically emotionally everything so I do feel very different to last year and um proud of my my progress since then hey uh just curious at what point actually this year did you start to feel that confidence in your body and that you weren't worrying about whether you you're going to break down you know each tournament yeah I mean there was there was a stage in in my tennis you know it was difficult because you know I've I've always been someone who who works extremely hard um you know and it was It was kind of my injury stemmed from potentially overwork um but also you know maybe maybe not um doing the right things you know for what I needed um you know I worked hard with with trainers and and and a coach I had in the past and um you know we work insanely hard but you know I broke down physically because of it um so it was always hard to see like don't work hard enough don't whatever you know that wasn't really the case it was kind of like I just wasn't doing the right work you know and ever since I got back with my old fitness trainer uh Steven Kota who's you know one of the best pH fitness trainers in the world you know he's work with the likes of Andy and um all the Brits players Dan and Kyle um and yeah ever since I got out with him I I think I learned as well from the injuries that I'd had I keep on having having the same consistent injuries with my ab and my hip you know and as soon as I sort of sorted them out you know and built a foundation around my physicality then I could really push um so I think it's not really did I feel at a certain point it was more you know I'm I'm just consistently developing it all the time and I feel better all the time because the work I'm doing but also the experiences of playing these these matches and um competing all the time any one yeah a different question your dad was a good player when would you remember when you first beat him my dad yeah um don't know I would have uh he he he played a lot of Club Tennis um so I was always always very lucky to have um my dad my mom my brother could play really good tennis so you know I think I think with a lot of a lot of families a lot of kids that you know really good players that I've been away with you know they have to they had to go to the academy to to play you know whereas for me it was like my my mom or dad or or brother you know I could get them out and I could play yeah I mean it probably wasn't until I was about 13 12 13 where I could beat my uh beat my dad for my brother was a little bit later one of those things where you feel guilty about doing it no I mean I think I think it's it's amazing to have you know a sporty family because you know from from Young you're sort of in that competitive environment um you know especially having an older brother as well who's always beating you whatever you know it's it's whether it's ping pong or tennis or anything you know really sort of builds builds that competitor in you um until until you beat them but yeah for instance my brother you know I think I played him once and he beat me so he's going to always have that over me yeah anybody else yes sir hi John yeah I was wondering if you could talk about the next match for you what that match up is like for you obviously you played him on CL early on in the year didn't you yeah Ma mashak for me is you know he's a he's a really really good player um you know he has he has top results um he he on his day when he's playing amazingly well you know can can beat pretty much anyone I've been watching his his opening rounds here and he seems like he's really dialed in not missing many balls at all and and playing great tennis you know that that matchup is going to be very difficult we've played a few times now uh the last couple of times um he's he's beaten me um but you know I felt like in those matches I've had lots of opportunities um and just just hasn't quite gone my way in the moment um and I also feel like I'm I'm in a in a really good place at the moment and I'm also playing some some good tennis so um you know I know that match will be tough but I I fully believe that if I can just get out there and um you know play some play some tennis that that I'm I'm able to then there's there's no reason why I can't come through that one Andrew last question Jack you mentioned before your reaction to Carlos going out obviously Novak also went out I'm just curious I mean that's something that generally hasn't happened this early in a big event is that something that you notice the guys talking about in the locker room are people reacting to that like how sort of weird is it yeah I mean it is obviously weird but you know I think I saw um obviously Carlos sa is I think both of them obviously played the Olympic final you know I think that that's T taken a lot out of them you know it's taken a lot out of everyone but they uh they obviously made the finals and it was was emotional for for both of them obviously nov that that was probably his biggest goal and to come through that it's obviously emotionally challenging to sort of have a wrestling come here um same with Carlos as well you know he's he's achieved so much this year um winning the French wimon you know I I'm not surprised that you know they're they're probably feeling really tired and emotionally a bit uh drained um but I think I watched both the matches and you know I thought btic played an incredibly high level of tennis against ALR and you know even um poin last night you know he won Montreal and again I watched I watched the opening two sets before I went to bed and you know I didn't I didn't honestly feel like jovic was playing incredibly badly maybe his serve was was a bit um bit blow par but I felt like poan played an incredible match as well so there's a lot of players in the draw at the moment who are really dangerous and on their day can can play can play an amazing match against the best players in the world thank you everyone thank you Jack thank you