Jack Draper in the second round of the 2022 US Open, New York
Jack Draper in the second round of the 2022 US Open, New York | (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Tennis | Australian Open 2023 | Draper faces ultimate stamina battle against defending champion Nadal

By Tony Fairbairn

  • Jack Draper v Rafael Nadal [1]
  • H2H: First Meeting
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Jack Draper faces the ultimate test of his fitness and stamina when he takes on top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open.

 

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H2H & Match Fundamentals

Jack Draper v Rafael Nadal [1] H2H: First Meeting
Australian Open 2023 Melbourne, Australia
Hard (O) Prize Money: $106,250
Third on Rod Laver Arena (Not before 03:30 GMT) Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime      Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player

Jack Draper has the toughest possible start to his Australian Open campaign when he faces top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal in his opening round match.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 12 months)

Embed from Getty Images

H2H: Jack Draper (WR 40) Rafael Nadal (WR 2)
Tournament Previous Best N/A Champion (2009, 2022)
1st Serve % 58.2 64.8
Service Games Won % 85.4 83.2
Break Points Saved % 70.4 61.2
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 52.2 53.9
Break Points Converted % 39.5 43.6

Draper has been dominant on serve but that will be put to the test against the returning efficiency of Nadal.

 

 

Playing Styles and Prediction

Nadal hasn’t had the best start to the season, losing tight matches to Cameron Norrie and Alex De Minaur. However the Spaniard has similar preparation for last year’s tournament and we all know what happened then. Never count out the 22-time Grand Slam champion especially in a best of five set format.

Draper will look to dictate the early stages of the match and be aggressive as that will be when Nadal is at his most vulnerable. The Spaniard will look to play his way into the match and produce high-quality returns to test Draper’s quality in different positions on the court. The Brit should be able to get a set off Nadal at minimum but once the Spaniard gets into his rhythm, he is going to be very hard to stop and Draper’s lack of physicality could cost him in this match.

Prediction: Nadal in four sets.

 

 

How to Watch/Follow Australian Open 2023

Live Stream Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime <- Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player

 

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