London trips & greasy spoons 'refresh' Draper
French Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentary on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
One of the most vital lessons Jack Draper is learning as an elite player is the ability to mentally recharge in the middle of a busy season.The British number one will be seeded fifth when the French Open begins on Sunday, having emerged as a force at the top of the men's game.It has been a steep rise for the 23-year-old Englishman, who returns to Paris looking to prove a point after losing in the first round last year.But increased success can bring more fatigue - something Draper has regularly highlighted the dangers of.Having spent a few days back in London, Draper says he feels "refreshed" going into Roland Garros."If I go home and have a complete day off, I'll be normal and do things like go to my local cafe, a greasy spoon in Putney," he told BBC Sport."It's not an athlete's breakfast, it's the normal stuff - beans, sausages, hash browns, all of that tackle. "I'll maybe go into London, be with friends and be around my family who I never see. "Tennis, especially if you're doing well in these tournaments, is very full on."
Draper followed up September's US Open semi-final run by clinching the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells in March to crack the world's top 10.More recently, he has demonstrated his improved clay-court game, reaching the Madrid final at the start of the month.Draper then had a short turnaround before another Masters tournament in Rome - but he went on to reach the quarter-finals, further underlining his sharp development on clay.He ultimately lost to French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, having faded in the decisive moments.Draper acknowledged his level was "in and out" in Rome after spending an intense May challenging for two of the biggest titles outside of the four majors."I'm at the stage where I'm trying to adapt to being 'on' all the time - which is what I want to do," Draper said."But it doesn't come easy. You need to learn to deal with that and be the best you can."I've always been someone who's quite wired - [I'm] someone who wants to achieve things all the time. "I want to keep on moving forwards. I have to be progressing, otherwise I'm struggling."
Draper headed to Paris earlier this week and spent an hour practising with Alcaraz on Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday.But he faces a potentially tough route through the draw, opening against 68th-ranked Mattia Bellucci - a left-handed Italian who Draper first played when they were aged 12 - with a host of bigger names lurking down the line.World number one Jannik Sinner is the standout name as a potential quarter-final opponent, although Draper could have to find a way past Joao Fonseca, Hubert Hurkacz, Jakub Mensik or Alex de Minaur before then."I never really look through the draw," Draper added."I look at my first-round opponent and I'm aware that all these guys deserve to be here. "It's a difficult sport and there are a lot of people who are hungry to beat me now. "But I feel really confident I am able to go deeper in these tournaments and that's the next step for me - to have consistently good runs at Grand Slams."
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