Jack Draper breathing easier after marathon route to Carlos Alcaraz clash
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Jack Draper credited a change in his breathing technique for the improved physical endurance that has carried him to a fourth-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. The British number one has come through three five-set matches at Melbourne Park to reach the last 16, battling back from two sets to one down each time.
Draper has struggled to last the distance in long matches, particularly in the heat, during the early part of his career, cramping in a number of contests and vomiting on court in Melbourne last year and during the US Open semi-finals. He believes anxiety has played a part, but also revealed he used the time he was sidelined by a hip injury in pre-season working to alter the way he breathes during matches.
“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,” he said. “From a mental 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.”.
He continued: “I was working a lot with a breathing coach and just trying to understand that a bit better. So I think that’s really helping. “I had a lot of problems with my sinuses when I was younger, so I breathe a lot through my mouth. Obviously when you are anxious or when you have long points and you have to recover quickly, it’s not efficient to breathe through your mouth.
