Two years after defeat at Wimbledon, Briton hopes to end losing run against Australian on Wednesday in New York
A couple of days after sealing his first career grand slam win at Wimbledon in 2022, a 20-year-old Jack Draper earned himself a rare chance to test his level against one of the best players in the world across best of five sets. The early returns from his second round bout on No 1 Court with Alex de Minaur were encouraging. Despite the 67 ranking spots and three years separating them, they went blow to blow as equals and were perfectly level after the two tight, gripping sets.
The intensity of their exchanges, however, left a significant mark on the challenger and Draper spent the remainder of the match panting and hunching over as he faded in the last two sets. Between his undeniable raw talent and the physical problems that eventually handcuffed him, the match was a perfect reflection of Draper’s early development.