Jack Draper Press Conference | 2024 US Open Round 2

on to the third round straight sets a little over two hours assess your play from the first round to this match today and where you think your game is at this point yeah I mean I think it's it's hard to sort of tell after that first round um because obviously um the guy played got injured um and it's pretty clear after the first set that um you know it was it was hard to sort of know what was was going on out there and I just needed to play point by Point um so didn't get enough Court time to really understand where my where my tennis was at um but I felt good I felt like I was moving moving well and then um today I think that um obviously it was it was three solid sets of tennis um I moved well you know I I was aggressive I felt like there was there was times where I was a bit up and down but um that's that's just five set match VI so um proud of proud of my performances and hopefully I can keep uh keep going well congratulations once again name and affiliation gentlemen hey Jack Charlie from the athletic uh congratulations i' say you've got a you've got a great record here um I just wondered what it is kind about the tournament but also about the city that seems to agree with you yeah I mean I love I love playing here for sure um I think the the courts really suit my my game especially being a lefty uh I think definitely off the serve uh it takes the ball um you know with the with the slice you know if someone hits a slice serve it really really moves off the court um so that's definitely something that I've always always found so I think it helps my leftin um and also I think you know the the courts are just pretty pretty it's like medium pace you know so it's I can use my my skills but also my my power as well I can hit through Players as well so um I've always felt really comfortable here and obviously it's nice to play with lots of energy from the crowd and and all these types of things so um always love coming here as well all right so yeah I mean it's it's kind of tough you know we we obviously get to to see a little bit of the city but in all honesty I'm someone who who likes my own space you know when I'm when I'm not here I'm kind of in my hotel room or getting treatment from my physia or something like that so obviously got out for dinner um but I'm not not someone who's definitely like wasting loads of energy kind of walking around Central Park and and all those types of things you know I try and keep myself to myself and um maybe maybe that's why I do well here because I I don't um waste energy uh Simon Telegraph um how comfortable are you feeling with this kind of new um grab the match by the Scruff type approach because you seemed like you were you were doing that pretty well today does it feel like it's become quite natural to you already or are you still having to kind of remind yourself as you go along yeah I mean it it it was always it was always just a mindset with me you know I definitely had to you know I think I I said after the front TR and I took a a real look at myself you know I said you know I need to to be more aggressive in certain moments I need to understand soorry I think by losing the matches I did you know especially there was a period where I lost um you know three or four seven sixes on the Trot against good players you know I really felt like you know these these guys aren't going to let me win the match you know I need to I need to do it myself and I need to play aggressively and you know I think I think it's it's a weird one like I've I've had coaches in the past tell me oh you need to be this big hitting player and serve and volley and um you know one the strike tennis you know I really that isn't the way for me you know my my tennis you know the one thing about me being tall that's different from a lot of other toour players is that you know I can scrap I can move um I can defensively be really good when I need to be um and you know I think it's it's amazing to have that quality because then you know I've got the foundation of doing that and now I can build the rest of my game around that you know I can serve volley more I can come forward more use my lism in in a way of being attacking not just defending as well so I think I'm I'm kind of learning and and being being more open to step up on second serve returns and and just yeah I'm I'm definitely becoming more comfortable in in my game and trying to move move in the right direction with my tennis congrats to from the just just following up up from that you've been coming to the net quite a bit as you said S A volley and just curious how do you feel as a voler yeah I mean it's weird like I um for me it's just about spending time at the net you know I I think um you know I had barely played any doubles um I think playing doubles with yanek in in uh Montreal you know I was always I've always been good at the net but I've just I've never played a lot of doubles I've never been um just put in that position a so to be honest those two matches we played in Montreal really helped my my volley and my my general awareness at the net uh you know I felt like I I got a better understanding of where I need to be in the court you know where I need to place the volley um so so yeah it's definitely a goal of mine to to play a lot more doubles when I get the opportunity to you know and I also know that's going to be extremely important for Davis carp and Olympics you know watching the likes of Andy and Dan and seeing seeing what they done um on the doubles Court you know both at Davis Cup and the Olympics you know that's that's something where I really want to improve and and and have a better understanding of what to do at the net Jack you know what it takes to get to this level all the hard work it requires if you were talking to like young kids who are good tennis players with good sports people around would you advise them to go into tennis or would you say play team sport what's what if they're if they're young yeah yeah I mean I see it a lot now especially in the UK or you know I'm I'm not sure around the world but I definitely think you know my parents were were very good with me sort of being open to every sport you know I I played a lot of football um you know I always I always play tennis but U my weekends would be I'd play Saturday League uh and then I'd and then I'd play some some tournament on Sunday or something I play a couple of matches um you know and I think I see these these young kids being sort of tutored from the age of 8 to 10 you know and I I honestly believe that's that's not the the right way to do it you know if I was if I was a parent and I wanted my kid to to be good at tennis you know I'd definitely maybe put them into other sports let them learn different skills different um being in a team environment being an individual you know all these types of things um cuz I know I know for my journey especially you know I I kind of started um working like a professional when I was 15 16 and you know there was times you know I felt burnt out as well even in those two years afterwards so I can't imagine what that's like for someone who starts fully going into it at 10 years old you know I just think that's that's honestly really unhealthy so I mean if I was if I was sort of a parent you know I'd I'd definitely maybe let my kid do every other sport learn learn how to sort of enjoy the sports they're playing and and all that and if they're if they become really great at tennis then obviously maybe take him a bit more serious David hi Jack David LA from the tennis podcast I just wondered how you experienced Dan's match the other day I know you'd played before it and and you've got your own things you need to do but I mean it was such an incredible match were you part of it at all in terms of following it no in um I definitely I I think I followed it from 42 they they they showed it on ESPN when I was at the hotel um you know I'm I'm I'm kind of not surprised at all you know honestly I think I have huge respect for Dan you know I think he's an unbelievable competitor you know being there at David's Cup last year I mean he pretty much got us into the finals single-handedly um you know and growing up with him when I was younger and playing with him his competitiveness has always been off the charts um I think just the the last couple of years he's obviously had a tough run with with a couple of injuries and um you know obviously a lot of tough draws and and all these types of things but you know when when Dan Evans is is feeling good about his tennis and he's hungry um you know he's he's still one of the best players in the world you know and his his his tennis is his tennis and his tennis IQ you know is extremely high so I'm unbelievably happy for Dan and um you know I feel sorry for him that he's got to go again today but that's just the nature of of the sport um but yeah huge respect for him to to win that match and like I said I'm I'm not surprised because I know I know how much of a beast that guy is okay last question to um I'm writing a piece about practice and I'm curious in your short time of playing practice sets and matches against other players have you experienced any cheating with line calling no I mean I think it's tough sometime what like in practice Yeah Yeah like when you're calling your own lines yeah I mean it's it's obviously because we're not used to calling our own lines um you know so there's there's often a lot of times in practice where there's maybe like a you know I think that ball was in or I think that was out but obviously it's practice so you just kind of you give the point or you you think oh like we don't want an argument so let's just move on um but yeah I mean I depends who you're practicing against as well you know some some people in practice they really want to win the set you know whereas a lot of a lot of players they're just kind of going through the motion and um you know taking it easy working on some things um but yeah I wouldn't I wouldn't I wouldn't say I've come across that a lot but if I'm playing one of the Brits and we're playing for something or or one of that you know maybe that happens a few times okay thank you everyone thank you Jack