Jack Draper clashes with Aussie fans after racket smash during nail-biting win

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MELBOURNE – Jack Draper is getting used to Australian boo boys after he drew another volley of jeers during his nail-biting third-round Australian Open victory over Aleksandar Vukic.

The British No. 1 smashed her racket on the Margaret Court Arena surface after failing to break Vukic’s serve in the third set, just one point before the Australian closed out the third set.

Draper was booed to his bench, and even more so when he sarcastically clapped and gave the crowd a thumbs up before taking a toilet break to cool off.

And it seemed to work as he battled back from two sets to one down to win in a final set tie-break after three hours and 58 minutes.

The racquet has become somewhat of a signature move for Draper in recent months.

He had a reputation for doing it in juniors, but appeared to have kicked the habit in the senior ranks – until the Davis Cup in September in 2024.

After losing the opening set to Felix Auger-Aliassime during Britain’s clash with Canada, Draper smashed his frame to the floor – then did it again a few months later in defeat to another Australian, Alex de Minaur, at the Paris Masters.

But this was a particularly charged racket smash, with a Friday night Melbourne crowd looking for something to latch on to – it was already 9pm when Draper and Vukic began their match.

It had been pretty good-natured up until the point when Vukic broke early, but Draper put him back and claimed the first set before the match was tied.

But the Briton’s burst at the end of the third set ignited the atmosphere, which was electric as the pair reached a tie-break in the fourth set. Draper prevailed 7-5, put his ginger to his ear and urged the crowd to be louder.

They responded in kind as the pair headed into a fifth and final set, the left-hander’s third straight match to go the distance.

Still, he hit in front first, took a 3-1 lead and earned four break point opportunities, which but he showed incredible resilience to withstand a Vukic comeback and win the tennis equivalent of a shootout: a decisive tie-break , first to 10.

It was unusually the Englishman who kept his head.

Draper had never played a five-set match until 12 months ago when, here in Australia, he beat Marcos Giron over three hours and 20 minutes and promptly threw up in a bin.

Since then he has played five more, winning all but one. Having now played three in a row, you might think he’d get a taste for it. It certainly puts two fingers up to those who questioned whether he would ever be fit enough, although Draper doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s the truth. I’m done after two sets most of the time!” Draper said.

“That’s just the way it is, and it’s something I’m aware of, and I should get better at it.

“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge step forward, the fact that mentally and physically I’m three five-set matches, that doesn’t happen often.

“It’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in. So I’m very, very proud of that.”

He certainly seems to relish the occasion and drama that five sets, surely the best form of the sport, inevitably brings. For someone who struggles with anxiety, he has learned to love the thrill of it.

The Australian killer

While his preseason preparation was far from ideal, hampered by an ongoing hip injury, he was perfectly prepared for Vukic.

Just two days earlier he had silenced 10,000 Australians at John Cain Arena, whipped into a frenzy by Thanasi Kokkinakis, who, after Nick Kyrgios, is Melbourne Park’s favorite son.

Draper had tried to block out the noise in the early stages of that match, but as the evening progressed he began playing to the crowd, bending his ear and waving to them. It relaxed him and he seemed to play better, owning the atmosphere instead of ignoring it.

However, John Cain is a unique court. It is the largest arena of any grand slam tournament accessible to general admission ticket holders. There are no seats sold in advance so it effectively costs just £25 to come. The result is generally a rowdier and invariably more lubricated crowd.

Margaret Court Arena is a smaller court with 2,500 seats, but the crowd is closer to the court and it feels more intimate overall. Seats are also sold in advance, and some for more than DKK 25, and the atmosphere is usually a little tamer.

And for three sets, that remained true. Perhaps it was Draper’s prompting, or perhaps it was just the late hour and the excitement of the match, which, it must be said, was heightened by the extraordinary level of tennis produced by both men, who combined for 155 winners in total.

Referee Louise Azemar Engzell became increasingly involved and did an excellent job of trying to quell the more troublesome members of the crowd.

As the final tie-break began, she issued her sternest warning: “Please, we can respect the players, they have played for three hours and 42 minutes.”

They would only play for another 16, but they deserved all the respect those in attendance could muster.