Tennis
British Tennis Star Jack Draper Destroys Racket In Fierce Rage Before Falling To Davis Cup Defeat
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished16 Sep 2024
British No. 1 and US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper let his emotions get the better of him at the Davis Cup, as he destroyed his tennis racket in a fit of rage before falling to defeat against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Just over a week after suffering defeat in the US Open semi-final against world No. 1 and eventual winner Jannik Sinner, British tennis star Jack Draper was beaten 6-7 5-7 by Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Davis Cup while representing Great Britain.
Draper, who represented his nation alongside Billy Harris, Dan Evans, Henry Patten and Neal Skupski, lost to Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in his opening Group D match on Friday and went 0-2 when he lost to Auger-Aliassime on Sunday, as Great Britain’s hopes of advancing to the final eight in Malaga came to an end.
The 22-year-old’s frustration was clear to see in his clash against the Canadian, as he smashed his racket to pieces, battering it against the floor six times while shouting expletives in a fit of rage.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Draper has been seen smashing his racket. He did the same at the Cincinnati Open earlier last month when he fell to a 6-4 6-2 defeat against Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.
WATCH: Jack Draper Smashes Tennis Racket During Davis Cup
It's safe to say Jack Draper was not happy after losing the first set 😬#BBCTennis #DavisCup pic.twitter.com/qjerZfNKMK
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 15, 2024
Jack Draper Slams ‘Mental’ Tennis Calendar
After his defeat to Cerundolo last Friday, which came just seven days after his defeat to Sinner at the US Open, Draper slammed the ‘mental’ tennis calendar and said that it will be tough for the next generation of players to ‘achieve longevity’ in the sport.
“There’s no doubt it’s a quick turnaround, I think a lot of people in my position would have not come this week,” Draper told the BBC.
“It’s a mental calendar. It’s my opinion that it’s going to be very hard for players of my age to achieve longevity any more.
“If you look at how many tournaments I’ve played this year, it’s hopefully 25, 26 for the first time. That’s a big positive in itself – this is my first proper year on tour.
“It’s definitely tough, but my team want the best for me, they want me to stay injury-free, to look after my body and mind.”
Draper continued to hit out at the scheduling, explaining that he’s had very little time off so far this year, saying: “Since Miami [in March], I just haven’t had any time.
“We went straight into the clay, then straight on to the grass, straight to the Olympics, straight out to Montreal, Cincinnati, training week, US Open, here, then it’s Asia, then it’s indoor season.
“I look at the sort of schedule, and I know players have done it for years, but the way the ATP have changed to two weeks with the Masters and these types of things, it’s giving us no time any more. There’s literally no break. It’s really mentally and physically challenging.”