Draper has had many physical problems in his first few years on tour. He did not play for two and a half months because of a shoulder injury in the summer of 2023 and a hip issue last December affected his preparations for this season.
He puts a huge amount of force through his body – with his serve and forehand as his two biggest assets – and admits there could be benefits in “reining in” his serve
“It’s surprised me a little bit that even when I do serve full out, my service numbers and my aces aren’t where I want them to be – and I think sometimes almost reining it in is not a bad thing,” he told BBC Sport after his first-round win at the US Open.
“You see the top servers ever to play – someone like a Novak Djokovic has such an underrated serve, and he hits his spots incredibly well. He’s not banging it at 140 [miles per hour].
“They are using their slices, the spins, different variations – so I think there is definitely something to be said in that. It’s not all about how fast you hit your service, it’s about how effective it is.”
Draper also acknowledged in New York that an injury like this can potentially be very serious. By sitting out the rest of the season, he will have at least four months without a match.
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