US OPEN

August 29, 2024

Jack Draper

Press Conference

J. DRAPER/F. Diaz Acosta

6-4, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: 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.

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, I think it's hard to sort of tell after that first round because obviously the guy I played got injured. It was pretty clear after the first set that it was hard to sort of know what was going on out there. I just need to do play point-by-point.

I didn't get enough court time to really understand where my tennis was at, but I felt good. I felt like I was moving well.

Then today I think obviously it was three solid sets of tennis. I moved well. I was aggressive. I felt like there was times where I was a bit up and down, but that's just a five-set match for you.

Proud of my performances and hopefully I can keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've got a great record here. I just wondered what it is coming back to a tournament but also about the city that seems to agree with you?

JACK DRAPER: I love playing here for sure. I think the courts really suit my game, especially being a lefty. I think definitely off the serve it takes the ball, you know, with the slice. If someone hits a slice serve, it really moves off the court, so that's definitely something that I've always found. I think it helps, my leftiness.

Also, I think the courts are just pretty -- it's like medium pace. I can use my skills, but also my power as well. I can hit through players as well.

I've always felt really comfortable here, and obviously it's nice to play with lots of energy from the crowd and all these types of things. Always love coming here.

Q. The city as well?

JACK DRAPER: Oh, sorry. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of tough. We obviously get to see a little bit of the city, but in honesty, I'm someone who likes my own space. When I'm not here, I'm kind of in my hotel room or getting treatment from my physio or something like that.

Obviously I go out for dinner, but I'm not someone who's definitely wasting loads of energy kind of walking around Central Park and all those types of things.

I try and keep myself to myself, and maybe that's why I do well here because I don't waste energy.

Q. How comfortable are you feeling with this kind of new sort of grab-the-match-by-the-scruff type approach? You seem like you were doing that pretty well today. Does it feel like it's become quite natural to you already, or are you sort of having to remind yourself as you go along?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah. I mean, it was always just a mindset with me. I definitely had to -- I think I said after the French Open, I took a real look at myself. I said, I need to be more aggressive in certain moments. I need to understand.

Sorry. I think by losing the matches I did, especially there was a period where I lost three or four 7-6s on the trot against good players. I really felt like these guys aren't going to let me win the match. I need to do it myself, and I need to play aggressively.

I think it's a weird one. I've had coaches in the past tell me, oh, you need to be this big-hitting player and serve and volley and one strike tennis. That isn't the way for me.

My tennis, the one thing about me being tall that's different from a lot of other tall players is that I can scrap, I can move, I can defensively be really good when I need to be. I think it's amazing to have that quality because then I've got the foundation of doing that, and now I can build the rest of my game around that.

I can serve volley more. I can come forward more, use my athleticism in a way of being attacking, not just defending as well. I think I'm kind of learning, and I'm being more open to step up on second-serve returns. And just, yeah, I'm definitely becoming more comfortable in my game and trying to move in the right direction with my tennis.

Q. Just following up from that, you've been coming to the net quite a bit, as you said, serve and volleying. Just curious, how do you feel as a volleyer?

JACK DRAPER: It's weird. For me it's just about spending time at the net. I think I had barely played any doubles. I think playing doubles with Jannik in Montreal, I've always been good at the net, but I've never played a lot of doubles. I've never been just put in that position a lot.

So, to be honest, those two matches we played in Montreal really helped my volleys and my general awareness of the net. I felt like I got a better understanding of where I need to be in the court, where I need to place the volley.

So, yeah, it's definitely a goal of mine to play a lot more doubles when I get the opportunity to. I also know that's going to be extremely important for Davis Cup and Olympics.

You know, watching the likes of Andy and Dan and seeing what they've done on the doubles court, both at Davis Cup and the Olympics, that's something where I really want to improve and have a better understanding of what to do at the net.

Q. You know what it takes to get to this level, all the hard work it requires. If you were talking to young kids who are good tennis players but good sports people all-around, would you advise them to go into tennis, or would you say play a team sport?

JACK DRAPER: If they're young?

Q. Yeah.

JACK DRAPER: I see it a lot now, especially in the U.K., or I'm not sure around the world. I definitely think my parents were very good with me sort of being open to every sport. I played a lot of football. I always played tennis, but my weekends would be I'd play Saturday league and then I'd play some tournament on Sunday or something. I'd play a couple of matches.

I think I see these young kids being sort of tutored from the age of 8 to 10. I honestly believe that's not the right way to do it. If I was a parent and I wanted my kid to be good at tennis, I'd definitely maybe put them into other sports, let them learn different skills, being in a team environment, being in individual, all these types of things because I know from my journey especially, I kind of started working like a professional when I was 15, 16.

There was times I felt burned out as well even in those two years afterwards. I can't imagine what that's like for someone who starts fully going into it at 10 years old. I just think that's honestly really unhealthy.

If I was sort of a parent, I'd definitely maybe let my kid do every other sport, learn how to sort of enjoy the sports they're playing and all that, and if they become really great at tennis, then obviously maybe take it a bit more serious.

Q. I just wondered how you experienced Dan's match the other day? I know you played before it, and you've got your own things you need to do, but it was such an incredible match. Were you part of it at all in terms of following it?

JACK DRAPER: No, I mean, I think I followed it from 4-2. They showed it on ESPN when I was at the hotel. I'm kind of not surprised at all.

Honestly I have huge respect for Dan. I think he's an unbelievable competitor. Being there at Davis Cup last year, he pretty much got us into the finals single-handedly. Growing up with him when I was younger and playing with him, his competitiveness has always been off the charts.

I think just the last couple of years he's obviously had a tough run with a couple of injuries and obviously a lot of tough draws and all these types of things. When Dan Evans is feeling good about his tennis and he's hungry, he's still one of the best players in the world. His tennis and his tennis IQ is extremely high.

I'm unbelievably happy for Dan, and I feel sorry for him that he has to go again today, but that's just the nature of the sport.

But, yeah, huge respect for him to win that match. Like I said, I'm not surprised because I know how much of a beast that guy is.

Q. I'm curious in your short time of playing practice sets and matches against other players, have you experienced any cheating with line calling?

JACK DRAPER: No. I mean, I think it's tough sometimes. What, like in practice?

Q. Yeah, yeah, when you're calling your own lines.

JACK DRAPER: It's obviously difficult because we're not used to calling our own lines. So there's often a lot of times in practice where there's maybe like a I think that ball was in or I think that was out, but obviously it's practice. So you give the point or you say, Oh, I don't want an argument, so let's just move on.

Yeah, I mean, it depends who you're practicing against as well. Some people in practice they really want to win the set. Whereas a lot of players, they're just kind of going through the motions and taking it easy, working on some things.

Yeah, I wouldn't say I've come across that a lot. If I'm playing one of the Brits and we're playing for something or one of that, maybe that happens a few times.