Jack Draper revels in 'abuse' from Australian Open fans during Thanasi Kokkinakis win
Share:
.jpeg)
The British No 1 was proud of how he held up physically in his second five-set win of the tournament. Jack Draper said the abuse he received during his thrilling five-set Australian Open comeback over home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis inspired him to raise his level as the British No 1 reached the third round of the grand slam for the first time.
![[Draper chose his moments to have some fun]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/15/15/58/GettyImages-2194024134.jpeg)
Draper was heckled throughout the four hour, 35 minute contest at a raucous John Cain Arena, with Australian supporters cheering missed first serves from the British player as Kokkinakis closed in on victory. Kokkinakis, who afterwards revealed he played through a torn pectoral muscle, served for the match in the fourth set but Draper survived before completing a stunning escape before midnight.
Draper held his finger to his ear at several points during the 6-7 (3) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 victory, with chair umpire Marijana Veljovic struggling to contain the home fans and control the atmosphere. Draper is likely to face a similar scenario when he plays Australian Aleksandar Vukic in the third round but the 23-year-old said that the hostile crowd gave him energy and made him play better.
He took a very different approach to compatriot Jacob Fearnley, who largely ignored the crowd during his first-round win over Australian Nick Kyrgios, with Draper choosing his moments to give some back. “It was amazing,” Draper said. “Obviously an electric atmosphere. I was getting quite a lot of abuse from the crowd in between serves and at the back of the court, all that stuff.
