The British No 1 has made changes to both his racket and his serve, and reaped the rewards by beating Novak Djokovic
T
wo and a half hours into one of the most unforgettable battles of his career, Jack Draper resolved to attack without hesitation, regardless of the outcome. On two pivotal points in his Indian Wells fourth-round match against Novak Djokovic, at 4-4 in the tie-break and then on match point at 6-6, Draper forced himself inside the baseline and unleashed two backhands, those shots driving him to victory.
It would have been understandable for Draper to have played passive tennis in those decisive moments. Not only did Indian Wells mark his second ATP tournament back after sustaining a bone bruise to his left arm that forced him off the tour for seven months, the injury has forced him to make dramatic changes to his game.
Draper returns to the circuit using natural gut strings in a hybrid string setup. Until this year, the 24-year-old had spent his career playing with synthetic polyester strings in his mains and crosses, respectively the vertical and horizontal strings within his racket’s string bed, but Draper and his team decided that it was appropriate for him to switch to natural gut in his mains.
