Courtesy: Google
During the third round match at the Italian Open in Rome, Jack Draper of Great Britain defeated Czechian Vit Kopriva in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for him. At one point in the pulsating contest, when Jack Draper wasn’t able to convert four break points in the second set, he hit his racket on clay four times before smashing it onto the floor beside his chair, and in the post-match interview, he stated that it was due to him getting too frustrated with himself.
Notably, after taking the first set, Jack Draper had a 3-1 lead in the second set before he was on the brink of breaking Vit Kopriva’s serve once again, but the Czechia player managed to thwart his attempt on four occasions. It led to the British player losing his cool completely before trashing his racket, to receive a warning from the chair umpire, but after managing to recover from the emotional outburst, he didn’t allow Kopriva to break his serve despite being 40-0.
The frustration boiled out a bit too much in the end but I stayed at it: Jack Draper
Draper broke Kopriva’s serve for the second time in the second time, taking a 4-2 lead before he converted the third match point, to book his place in the last 16 of the Italian Open, where he will play against Corentin Moutet of France. He was quoted as saying about the match, as per Sky Sports, “It was a tough match. I felt a little low in energy, my feet weren't working as well as I wanted them to, but I tried to fight hard and find a way.”
“The frustration boiled out a bit too much in the end but I stayed at it and I came through,” he added. Jack Draper also talked about the human element in the sport - which often gets neglected - stating how he is getting used to playing a lot of tennis, not only on the physical side, but also the mental side of it, and at the same time, he admitted to not being perfect always.
