Jack Draper called for big changes after singling out Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner | Tennis | sport
Draper won his first trophy at the ATP 500 level last week by defeating Karen Khachanov to be crowned champion in Vienna. Thanks to his run, he also reached the top 15 in the world.
It was the latest chapter in his breakout season. This year, the Brit also won his first tour title in Stuttgart and reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open.
The 22-year-old is now hungry for more. After his recent title win, he said: “I’ll be back next year with even more motivation to really shake up the guys at the top of the game, people like Sinner and Alcaraz.”
If he wants to close the gap on the best players, retired former world No. 1 Roddick Draper will need to get his body used to playing in hot conditions – something he has often struggled with.
“The difference in training is making sure your body can do it – you have to be prepared for a slam,” he said on his Served podcast.
“So, to get to the main argument that the question led to: your body – it’s not going to make the necessary distance every time. Your body has to be able and prepared to play five hours, seven times, 14 days, in heat and in bad weather.”
It’s something Roddick has been through during his own career, and he wants Draper to find a second, hotter training base to get used to the brutal conditions at tournaments like the Australian Open.
He continued: “Draper sweats like me. It’s just disgusting, right? We’re both disgusting, sweaty individuals.
“He has to figure out what the food looks like and is physically prepared. Does that mean he’s training in London? Is there another base where he gets in heat?”
The 2003 US Open winner shared his old routine: “My personal experience was that I trained my body for a month in Austin with sprints, weight lifting and all that.
“Every day, six days a week, seventh day of rest, get up at 6 a.m., fall into bed at 9 p.m., rinse, repeat, handle the diet perfectly. My body is ready.
“On the way to Australia we stopped in Hawaii to get used to the time zones, but I literally played on this court in Hawaii that was made out of lava rocks and just cooked for two weeks to get used to it [to the heat].”
And Roddick believes it will make all the difference in bringing players like Alcaraz and Sinner together. “To give me a chance, you have to check all these boxes, because I promise you, sinner it is; I promise you, Alcaraz is it,” he added.
For now, Draper will focus on finishing the year with success at the Paris Masters. He extended his winning streak in Bercy and defeated Jiri Lehecka 7:5 and 6:2 in the first round.
