Jack Draper turned to an unusual mentor to help him take things to the next level before starting the season on a high.
The Brit followed up his fourth-round run at the Australian Open with a strong week in Doha, reaching his fifth ATP final.
Now sitting at a career-high ranking of No. 12, the Qatar Open runner-up has explained how he hired a breathing coach to boost his energy on court.
Draper put in a huge effort to reach the final in Doha. The 22-year-old came back from a set down in both the quarter-final and semi-final, winning late-night thrillers.
He also pushed Andrey Rublev to three sets in the championship match before losing.
Earlier in his career, Draper struggled to win long matches back-to-back. The Brit has since managed his physical problems, but he also worked on something else to help him battle on the court – his breathing.
During the off-season, the British No. 1 hired a specific coach to fix problems with his respiratory control, and learned he was a “mouth breather”.
Draper told the ATP: “Historically, I had a lot of problems with my sinuses when I was younger, and I suppose in tennis, in sport, we’re always trying to look for the small percentages.
“I’ve realised over time that of course I need to focus on my physical improvements. That’s got better, and my physicality and everything has got better, but I felt like still sometimes I would get out of breath, or when I’m a bit anxious, I’d really struggle still.
“So I started to look into more of the other reasons potentially why and one of them was I’ve always had problems with my sinuses, so could it be that my breathing is maybe non-efficient?
“I realised that I was a real mouth breather, and so I looked into how I could start to maybe change functionally the way I breathe.”
Draper wasn’t able to play much tennis during the off-season after picking up a hip injury. But he worked on his breathing and it’s paid off. As well as his run in Doha, he also won three five-set matches in a row at the Australian Open.
“There are still lots of improvements to come, but I worked a lot on trying to breathe through my diaphragm and my nose instead of breathing through my mouth, because you can’t get enough oxygen in that way,” he added.
“So especially when we’re out on court and we’re playing long points and it’s hot and stressful, it’s just trying to learn how to breathe more efficiently for your body to work at a high level.”
The Brit has also learned to listen to his body so he can prevent the long injury layoffs that plagued him earlier in his career. So far this year, Draper has played just two tournaments.
And after his run to the final in Doha, Draper withdrew from this week’s ATP 500 event in Dubai.
“I’m taking onboard advice to prioritise my recovery and manage my body after a number of long matches, and give myself the best chance of competing consistently throughout the year,” he said.
