British tennis star Jack Draper demonstrated his sportsmanship after advancing to the Indian Wells’ round of 16, when he penned a heartfelt message to his opponent on the camera lens. The current British No. 1 staged a comeback from a break down in the opening set to defeat Jenson Brooksby 7-5 6-4 on Monday.
Following the match, observers noticed Draper offering words to Brooksby at the net and subsequently applauding him off the court. Brooksby’s return to tennis has been a triumphant one, following a two-year stint away due to injuries and a suspension linked to missed doping tests, which was later lessened. Draper expressed his joy to see the ex-world No. 33 back in action, showcasing his tennis prowess once more.
Draper’s acknowledgement of Brooksby’s return came when he was asked to sign the camera, to which he wrote, “Good to have a great player back.” Interestingly, Draper had bested Brooksby in their past two encounters. Yet, their third-round clash in the Californian desert was far from easy for the Brit, who found himself 1-4 down in the initial set.
Draper was not taken aback by the early struggles in the match. He shared with Sky Sports, “Jenson is someone who makes life very difficult for players and I didn’t really know what to expect, he hasn’t played for a while and I haven’t seen him play.” He admitted to areas of improvement in his performance and credited his calm demeanor and perseverance for clinching the win.
Brooksby’s return to professional tennis only happened in January, and his current ranking has plummeted beyond the top 900. Nevertheless, his impressive victory over the 17th seed Auger-Aliassime in the earlier round of Indian Wells was not lost on Draper.
The British star continued, “I knew from the first ball he was going to know what to expect. I played him twice and both times it went my way.” He praised Brooksby’s fighting spirit and competitiveness, while expressing relief at having weathered the storm during key moments in the match.
The next challenge for Draper lies in either Taylor Fritz or Alejandro Tabilo in the fourth round. In addition to his singles campaign, he’s also competing in the doubles category with Czech player Tomas Machac, and plans on keeping up the fight in both draws.
Draper shared his physical and mental readiness for the competition, despite the demanding conditions of the Californian desert that have seen many top players exit early. He touched on the importance of accepting that not every game will showcase one’s best tennis and expressed hope for improved performance in the subsequent round.
Acknowledging the challenging environment, Draper emphasized his intention not to overcomplicate his gameplay, saying, “Maybe trying to get a more slice on my serve because the flat just flies a bit too much. Trying to aim for shorter, big margins – meaning not trying to go as close to the lines. It’s difficult, you take it each ball as it comes.”
