Jack Draper predicting 'great contest' against 'special talent' Carlos Alcaraz - 'I need to be brave'

Jack Draper won another five-set contest to reach the Australian Open fourth round, where he will face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz. British No. 1 Draper is looking forward to facing "special talent" Alcaraz, having won their last meeting, and says "I need to be brave in the way I play". Draper also reflected on his physical condition after beating Aleksandar Vukic in five sets.

Jack Draper is excited by the challenge of facing "special talent" Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open, predicting a "great contest" against the world No. 3.

British No. 1 Draper beat Aleksandar Vukic in his third successive five-setter to reach the fourth round in Melbourne.

Draper came into the Grand Slam with concerns over his fitness after withdrawing from the United Cup and a pre-season camp with Alcaraz due to a hip issue.

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He will now put that hip - and the rest of his body - to the test when he faces Alcaraz in a heavyweight clash at the Australian Open, live on Eurosport and discovery+.

"Any opportunity to play the best guys in the world is what I play for," Draper told Eurosport’s Laura Robson.

Draper added in his press conference: "I know what to expect from him. He's going to come out with a lot of energy, and obviously he's a special talent.

'What a fightback!' - Draper wins in five sets again to reach fourth round

Video credit: TNT Sports

"I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances. Against the top players you get less and less chances to win games and sets and all these sort of things.

"I need to be brave in the way I play, but I'm expecting him to come out and know that I've played three five-setters and know that he's got a battle on his hands, and he's going to have to play good.

"It will be a great contest, I'm sure."

Reflecting on his physical condition after the win over Vukic, he told Robson: "My hip is a little bit sore but I am so proud of the way I am competing.

"Three best-of-five set wins isn’t too bad, so proud of myself."

Draper's ability to stay injury-free was one of the big question marks over him early in his career.

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He said after the gruelling win over Vukic that he is "surprising" himself with his stamina and that "staying calmer" is helping him get through long matches.

Draper added: "I think obviously there's always been that sort of question mark in my head over five-set matches, and am I able to do it?

"You know, from a mental part of side of things and physical as well, is my body going to hold up?

"I've been putting in a lot of work in general over time. It seems like maybe by having that time off with my hip, I was able to focus on working on a few different things.

Draper plans to 'keep on pushing' ahead of facing 'special talent' Alcaraz

Video credit: TNT Sports

"I was working a lot with a breathing coach and just trying to understand that a bit better. I've always had problems with my sinuses.

"So I think that's really helping. I just think in general staying a lot calmer and just not being too uptight. I think that's helping me to go for longer.

Alcaraz dropped his first set of the tournament in the third round but still came through without too much trouble against Nuno Borges.

Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 2-1 against Draper but it was the Brit who won their last meeting, at Queen’s in 2024.

"I know that he's a really difficult player, he has a great level," said Alcaraz about Draper.

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