‘My Chest Was Very Tight’- British ATP Star Opens Up On Worrying Health Scare Stemming From Scorching Australian Open Heat

Jack Draper battled through the cruel Melbourne heat to win his first five-setter in the first round of the Australian Open. The British number 4 has been plagued with injuries and early retirements throughout his six-year-long career. Despite the win on Tuesday, Draper was clearly seen struggling on the court and it’s all courtesy of the hot weather Down Under.

Playing in the early afternoon on a baking court on one of the hottest days of the tournament with temperatures soaring above 30 C. Draper looked completely exhausted and took a medical timeout after losing the second set. Then, after the match, he quickly shook hands with his opponent and then rushed to a bin to vomit. As he said after the match, it was not a good day.

Jack Draper has found it hard to adapt to the weather as he plods through Australian Open

Jack Draper defeated America’s Marcos Giron by 6-4,3-6,4-6,6-0,6-2 in an exhausting 3-hour 20-minute encounter on Court 8 at Melbourne Park. Although he won, Draper had to call for the doctor to check his blood pressure mid-game. During the post-match press conference, he revealed he felt nauseated afterward and that it’s been hard for him to adapt to a new environment.

When asked about whether he felt sick during the medical timeout after the second set, Draper said, ‘Not really. That’s the thing. When you are very stressed, especially in hot conditions. And, you are playing a guy as well, you can be sort of too focused on yourself whereas you are playing him as well. I just felt like my chest was very tight. It was referring to my back, and I just felt I couldn’t really hold myself up.’

However, there isn’t much time left for Draper to take a rest as he will face yet another American, Tommy Paul, in his second-round match of the Australian Open on Thursday. The Brit can only hope his body adjusts soon because the heat is getting to too many players.

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It’s only been two days but the players have already started to feel the heat

Earlier today Czech Republic’s Jiří Veselý suddenly collapsed during his match due to intense heat. A day back Daniil Medvedev was seen struggling with the Melbourne heat during his match against France’s Terence Atmane. He was seen making multiple requests for ‘cold water’ during his first-round clash at the Margaret Court Arena. Although he managed to hold up till the end, his opponent couldn’t. Atmane had to retire after struggling with severe cramps in the later stages of the match.

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Although both Medvedev and Draper managed to go through to the next round battling all the adversities, the temperature in Melbourne seems to be a major concern now to all the players.