Jack Draper has attributed his remarkable physical improvement to working with a breathing coach.
The British number 1 has won three five-set matches in a row at this Australian Open, spending more than 12 hours on court. His last epic was a victory at 1 in the morning against the Australian Aleksandar Vukic to set a date on Sunday with Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.
It is quite a radical change for a man whose aptitude, by his own admission, could not be trusted in the early years of his career.
When asked to explain the transformation, Draper, 22, responded: “There's always been that question mark in my head during five-set matches: Can I do it?” From a mental and physical point of view too, will my body hold up?
'I've been working a lot. By having that time off with my hip (an inconvenience during Christmas), I was able to focus on working on a few different things.
'I was working a lot with a breathing coach and trying to understand it better. I have always had problems with my sinuses. So I think that's really helping.
Jack Draper has attributed his physical improvement to working with a breathing coach
The 22-year-old British number 1 (left) has won three matches in a row in five sets at this Australian Open.
Draper's physical condition had proven to be a problem during the early stages of his career.
“I think in general we need to stay much calmer and not be too tense.” “I think that's helping me last longer.”
To briefly explain the science, nasal breathing brings air to the lungs faster than through the mouth, which means that oxygen can, in turn, reach the muscles more efficiently and reduce lactic acid buildup. . In addition, nasal breathing can slow down and regulate the heart rate, calming us; while gasping through the mouth when we are tired can increase stress. Finally, breathing through your mouth has been shown to cause the body to lose more water, leading to dehydration.
“I had a lot of problems with my sinuses when I was younger, so I breathe through my mouth a lot,” Draper explained. 'When you are anxious or have long stitches and have to recover quickly, it is not efficient to breathe through your mouth. “So I've been trying to reverse what I do and breathe through my nose a lot more.”
As Draper suggests, there is a physical and a mental side to your improvement, and breathing helps with both. Draper, calm and relaxed off the court, can become tense and anxious in the heat of battle. During his US Open semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner last year, a combination of stress, humidity and the stomach-churning effect of painkillers caused him to vomit on court.
“Sometimes you don't realize how tense your body is,” he said after Vukic's victory. 'Especially me, because I've always been someone who likes to push myself and sometimes you just have to relax. Especially in tennis because you need to have the freedom to let your muscles do what they need to do. “So obviously if you're tense all the time, you're not going to last very long.”
Draper will need his nose and every other fiber of his being to be at its best if he is to have a chance against Alcaraz on Sunday. Draper was not helped by the schedulers, who placed the match on the Rod Laver Arena no earlier than 3.30pm (4.30am UK time). Draper would have preferred a night game to give himself more time to recover and avoid the heat of the day – it will reach a high of 34 degrees in the afternoon. But Novak Djokovic will probably have applied for the night job and after 10 titles at Melbourne Park, what Novak wants, he gets.
During Draper's US Open semifinal loss to Jannik Sinner last year, a combination of stress, humidity and the stomach-churning effect of painkillers caused him to vomit on court.
The British number one revealed that his improvement has both a physical and mental side
Alcaraz declined at the end of last year after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, but this year he looks renewed and dangerous. The 21-year-old Spaniard has only lost one set this week and, compared to Draper, has half the court time in his legs.
Alcaraz debuts a new, more fluid service movement in this Australian Open. Partly designed to reduce the load and strain on your body and partly to add more precision, the results have been impressive.
Logic suggests that with so many miles on his body, Draper won't have enough left in the tank for a battle against the world's most explosive player.
But one thing Draper has proven this week is that he will fight until his last breath.