Jack Draper has revealed he went against the advice of his team members when he opted to play for Great Britain in the Davis Cup Finals Group stage in Manchester.
Just a week after his draining US Open semi-final defeat against Jannik Sinner in New York, Draper was embroiled in another high-octane battle in front of a big British crowd in Manchester, as he lost 7-6(4) 7-5 against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
The 22-year-old flew back to Britain after his long run in New York and headed straight to Manchester to link up with captain Leon Smith and his British Davis Cup team-mates, but he admitted some of his inner circle are not convinced he should be playing in a team event so soon after his big breakthrough at the US Open.
Draper admitted he defied the wishes of his team by playing this week, saying: “Rightly so, my team want what’s best for me, my body and mind. They’re the closest people to me, they want me to be healthy, especially considering my history.
“But I know what it’s like to play for my country, to be a part of the team, how good the feeling is to represent GB and walk out in front of a home crowd. I felt like, being British number one and in my position, it was the right decision for me to get myself up here and be part of the team.
“It’s a mental calendar. Since Miami time (in March), I just haven’t had any time. We went straight into the clay, then straight onto the grass, straight to the Olympics, straight out to Montreal, Cincinnati, training week, US Open, here, then it’s Asia, then it’s indoor season.
“It’s my opinion that it’s going to be very hard for players of my age to achieve longevity any more.
“I look at the schedule, and I know players have done it for years, but the way the ATP have changed to two weeks with the Masters (1000 series) and these types of things, it’s giving us no time any more.
“There’s literally no break. It’s really mentally and physically challenging. I’m proud of myself for being here with the team, playing for my country. I didn’t get it done today, but I’m going to have many more chances.
“It’s been such a quick turnaround, I obviously got the flight home, then it’s been about getting over the jet lag, getting up here. I didn’t celebrate at all, because I wanted to be in the best shape possible.
“That’s the thing about tennis, we’re always onto the next thing. With the Davis Cup being the week after the US Open, for the players who do well it’s very difficult.”
Finding a place in the crowded tennis calendar for the Davis Cup is proving to be challenging, with its position a week after the US Open making it tough for players to go deep in the final Grand Slam of the year to compete for their country a few days later.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are among the big names taking part in Davis Cup matches this week, but their presence in the competition may only be due to their surprisingly early exits at the US Open.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner guided Italy to Davis Cup Finals success in Malaga last year, but he pulled out of this week’s Final Group Stage matches after going all the way and winning his first US Open.
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