Week 8 - ATP 500 - ExxonMobil Open - Doha, Qatar (hard)

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Week 8 - ATP 500 - ExxonMobil Open - Doha, Qatar (hard)

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Lloyd and Julian second 500 title as a pair, Lloyd also has 1 with Harri.

3rd in the Race still and showing they are one of the top pairs for certain.

9vicman · Satellite level

Four Brits in the doubles Top 20 for the first time.

Neil Gee · County player

JonH comes home wrote:
seagull wrote:
Fantastic Jack! Up to 12 in world
Excellent - lost sight he was playing! Rublev in the final, he has a 3-0 head to head over Jack, but its all a couple of years ago and Jack has improved a lot.

Thanks for that Jon. I thought it didn't seem right and the time lapse explains why.

Neil Gee · County player

For all the world this match looked like it was going to a tight first set tie break, then Jack faltered in the game he needed to win to make the tie break happen, he dropped the opening point of his serve for the first time in the match and followed with it with an attempt to win a cheap point with a short lob that barely cleared the net, but Rublev was much too close to it and took the point. Then Jack double faulted to leave him walking a tight rope with 3 break points to save. He saved two of them but couldn't save the last and the set was gone.

Neil Gee · County player

Jack redeems himself with a hard fought break of serve at 5 all in the second set before serving it out to bring it down to a final set battle.

Rublev's hitting the ball well but Jack is serving well too. Hard to say which way this will go.

Neil Gee · County player

Nothing in those first two sets suggested that Jack would only win one game in the third, but Rublev found another level and Jack couldn't go with him on the day. That's tennis for you.

wolf · Tennis legend

Final: (5) Andrey Rublev (***) WR 10 defeated (8) Jack Draper WR 16 by 7-5 5-7 6-1 cry

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

wolf wrote:
Final: (5) Andrey Rublev (***) WR 10 defeated (8) Jack Draper WR 16 by 7-5 5-7 6-1

Great shame, but all in all, a good week for Jack.

Oscariyan · Strong Club Player

Stircrazy wrote:
wolf wrote:
Final: (5) Andrey Rublev (***) WR 10 defeated (8) Jack Draper WR 16 by 7-5 5-7 6-1
Great shame, but all in all, a good week for Jack.

Yes definitely, goes up to CH 12 in the rankings and has managed a whole tournament without injury. Hopefully many more chances to win titles this year and maybe bigger ones. Onwards and upwards. Well done Jack.

-- Edited by Oscariyan on Saturday 22nd of February 2025 05:52:18 PM

B00thy · Intermediate Club Player

Is there a question mark about his fitness for slams? He fell away in the final set clearly tired after a long week but would obviously play more sets to get to later stages of a slam. Or has the tournament contributed to gaining the match stamina he needs?

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

B00thy wrote:
Is there a question mark about his fitness for slams? He fell away in the final set clearly tired after a long week but would obviously play more sets to get to later stages of a slam. Or has the tournament contributed to gaining the match stamina he needs?

I think the AO showed, where he played 3 straight 5 set and around 4 hour matches, that he has the fitness ability for sure. Something he has worked hard on. This week was his first week back since the AO; both he and Rublev had long matches this week and I think it caught up with Jack in the final set. So dont think we need to worry

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

B00thy wrote:
Is there a question mark about his fitness for slams? He fell away in the final set clearly tired after a long week but would obviously play more sets to get to later stages of a slam. Or has the tournament contributed to gaining the match stamina he needs?

Yes, I think there's been a question for a while. He's young and working on it.

Interesting to hear about how he worked with a breathing coach for quite a while - that some of his performance problems, they felt, was because he wasn't breathing properly (sort of deserves a smile but you know what they mean) and that it's got a lot better which is helping with endurance (and other)

indiana · Tennis legend

I think his core fitness is much improved with the work he has put in and to my mind is of little real concern though yes keep working at it.

That Australian Open run showed this, and gee just look at him, he has become quite a physical specimen.

I would be thinking much more the other issues that have been brought up - more psychological, bringing on some of these breathing issues and drop offs when I think the physical fitness is there.

I didn't see it but folk were saying that Rublev played extremely well in the third set?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I'm not sure the breathing work was for psychological reasons (i.e. stress control or whatever) - the way it was presented, it was for physical work - that he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his muscles because he was breathing inefficiently

(I saw the match - tbh, I wouldn't have said that Rublev played out of his skin in the third, Jack did drop off a bit, IMO. But it's not a big deal, it's not a 'problem')