- Jack Draper advanced to the last-16 of the Italian Open after his win on Sunday
- The 23-year-old beat Vit Kopriva but racked up 37 unforced errors along the way
- This culminated in Draper smashing his racket in frustration after he lost his rag
Jack Draper woke up on the wrong side of the bed in Rome on Sunday morning. He racked up 37 unforced errors against Vit Kopriva and smashed his racket in rage and frustration. But he did what he almost invariably does these days: he won; and it was not especially close.
The 23-year-old was about as far from his best as the Supertennis Arena is from the centre court of the vast Foro Italico, but he moved into the fourth round of the Italian Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Draper’s improvement is such that, in these first few rounds at least, his B or C game is enough.
‘I don’t condone smashing rackets but if you’re gonna do it you might as well do it properly,’ said Draper.
‘I usually try to stay pretty calm but I’m a fiery, feisty competitor and that can boil over,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I feel like I need to lay out some frustration.
‘I didn’t sleep that great last night but it’s normal for people to wake up not feeling great and to have to keep on going, especially in this sport.’
There is a sense that it will take something out of the ordinary to beat Draper at the moment – and few players are less ordinary than his next opponent, Corentin Moutet.
Jack Draper tallied 37 unforced errors in his fourth round Italian Open victory over Vit Kopriva
The Brit smashed the clay four times with his racket after sending a drop shot into the net
Draper explained he does not condone his actions but that his frustrations got the better of him
The maverick Frenchman reached the fourth round with a mammoth 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 upset of No9 seed Holger Rune. It was the best match of the tournament so far and, at three hours and 46 minutes, the longest three-set match of the year.
The 26-year-old has the words ‘Chaos makes the muse’ tattooed on the back of his neck and that could not be more apt.
Pasta is to Rome as controversy is to Moutet. He was deducted a game by the umpire after refusing to play until a certain spectator was ejected and was invited outside for a fight by Alexander Bublik – and that was just in March. In 2022 he was defaulted for swearing at the umpire and last year, more harmlessly, demanded a coffee and when none was forthcoming from the officials, was given one by a member of the crowd.
His chaotic nature is reflected in his play, too: Draper should expect a discombobulating mix of spins, drop shots and underarm serves. Like Draper, Moutet is left handed so that adds an extra element of unfamiliarity.
World No83 he may be but Moutet is a dangerous opponent when dialled in – as he certainly was in defeating Rune. Draper will likely have to play a deal better than he did against Kopriva to reach the quarter-finals.
‘I enjoy that,’ said Draper of Moutet’s theatrics. ‘They love him here, he brings a really good energy to the court. He’s fiery and very talented.’
The second-round defeat of Taylor Fritz has opened up the possibility of Draper moving into the world’s top four.
A place in the semi-finals would be enough for him to leapfrog the American and secure the No4 seeding at the French Open.
