Jack Draper slams 'mental' calendar as he destroys racket in Davis Cup defeat
Jack Draper voiced concerns about the tennis schedule after his quick Davis Cup turnaround.
Jack Draper has become the latest player to hit out at the “mental” tennis calendar.
The British No. 1 spoke before losing his Davis Cup match to Felix Auger-Aliassime, in which he destroyed his racket as GB crashed out in the group stage.
Draper has now warned tennis bosses that young players might not be able to achieve the longevity currently seen in the game.
Related articles
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a career-best season - winning his first tour title, reaching the US Open semi-final and cracking the world’s top 20. It’s also the first year he has been able to play week-in week-out, previously being dogged by injuries.
And the demanding schedule is already taking its toll. Draper arrived in Manchester for the Davis Cup four days after losing to Jannik Sinner in the US Open semis. He lost both of his matches to Francisco Cerundolo and Auger-Aliassime during the group stage week.
Following his defeat to Cerundolo, Draper explained how “exhausting” the calendar was. “It's a mental calendar,” he told the BBC.
“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.”
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
While Draper is pleased he can finally compete regularly, he’s also aware that he needs to be careful. The world No. 20 added: “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.”
After his quick turnaround to get to the Davis Cup, Draper also detailed his schedule and lack of time off so far in 2024. “Since Miami [in March] I just haven't had any time,” he continued.
“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.
Don't miss...
Tennis star turns up to court with suitcase after mad rush from another event [RECAP]
Novak Djokovic argues with wife Jelena after issuing strict ban on his children [QUOTES]
British tennis star who shone at Wimbledon wins first WTA title of her career [REPORT]
“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.”
Everything caught up with Draper when faced Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. After losing a close first set, the 22-year-old smashed his racket into the ground six times. The Canadian came through 7-6(8) 7-5.
Britain needed to beat Canada 3-0 on Sunday to advance out of the group stage and into the Finals. But the dream was already over by the time Draper stepped onto the court as Dan Evans suffered a 6-0 7-5 defeat to Denis Shapovalov in the opening match.
