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6 hours ago
Australian Open 2025
Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park
Coverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
British number one Jack Draper says he is better prepared to face the Melbourne heat at this year’s Australian Open.
Draper was sick immediately after his first-round victory at Melbourne Park last year and later put it down to the “psychological stress” of the situation.
He struggled with the same issue in his first major semi-final at the US Open, vomiting three times on court before his defeat by eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
“This year I’ve really tried to do different things,” Draper told the PA news agency.
“I’m from a country where we’re inside a lot and it’s cold. Coming into a tournament like this where it is really hot, we don’t get a lot of that exposure.
“I’ve got a lot of heat training in and I feel good. I’ve been working hard on different techniques with my breathing.
“I’m a young player, I’m still trying to understand how I operate best in all areas.”
The 23-year-old has had a disrupted build-up to the Australian Open, with a hip problem causing him to miss the United Cup and cancel a training camp with four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Draper said he had been trying to adapt to the heat by using saunas and “bikes in hot bubbles”, alongside arriving in Australia two-and-a-half weeks before the Grand Slam tournament began.
“It’s not just the tennis, it’s a big mental game as well and it’s how we recover after points and deal with stress in general, whether that be the tennis or the conditions,” Draper said.
“I think my prep for the heat this year has been a lot better than previous years.”
Draper, who is seeded 15th at Melbourne Park, has been practising alongside world number one Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic before his first-round match against Argentina’s Mariano Navone on Monday.
“They just bring such a high quality to the practice court It’s really great to be able to spar with that kind of level of intensity and work ethic,” Draper added.
