Jack Draper is determined to get payback for losing a close match at the Madrid Open. In the decisive game, the British player displayed his class with a sporting gesture, defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Draper had lost his previous three matches in a final set tiebreak, but in Madrid, where he faced Australian qualifier Kokkinakis to the line, he eventually turned the tide. With a decisive victory in the final game, the 22-year-old saved the match from going to a second tiebreak.
Draper demonstrated class in that match by allowing Kokkinakis to retake his first serve after an interruption. And Draper went on to emphasize the value of sportsmanship even in the most stressful situations.
Draper explained it after the match and said: “As he was hitting a serve, there was a loud noise. I think he missed the serve but to be honest, even if he would’ve made the serve, I was a bit dazed by it as well so I just said you can have a first serve and I ended up winning the point but it’s good to show sportsmanship sometimes.”
Draper further said: “Maybe it’s God thinking, you know, I’ve let you down a few times but now it’s time to sort of turn the tide a little bit. But no, it makes you feel a bit better. In that situation, you know it’s the right thing to do and when you do something kind like that, it gives you a bit of a buzz, a bit of an, oh, I’ve done the right thing there. There’s a lot of opportunities like that in matches to do something like that and I think it’s good to show it sometimes.”
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Draper winner 🌟@jackdraper0 comes up with a clutch 6-3 3-6 7-5 win over Kokkinakis in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/xQfh9WNJH1
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 24, 2024
Draper in Madrid, ranking, and results in 2024
Now the world no.43, the Brit has managed to achieve a 12-8 win-loss record in 2024. Jack is currently having a run in Madrid where he toppled the world no.93 Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3 3-6 7-5.
Jack Draper will compete against the world no.9 Hubert Hurkacz in the 2nd round. Their current record is 3-1 for Hurkacz.
The Brit reached the final in Adelaide (Adelaide International).
Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2024
WWWWWWLWWL Currently the world no.93, Thanasi played his last match on the 24th of April when he capitulated to world no.43 Jack Draper 6-3 3-6 7-5 in the 1st round in Madrid (draw).
This season Kokkinakis owns a 15-12 win-loss record. Kokkinakis clinched 1 title in the Sarasota Challenger.
He is also scheduled to play in Rome (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) on the 8th of May and French Open (French Open) on the 26th of May.
Jack Draper and Thanasi Kokkinakis fought against each other 3 times. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Draper. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Jack Draper won 6-3 3-6 7-5 in the 1st round in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 24th of April 2024.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
