US Edition
Jack Draper’s serve fails him in error-strewn Monte-Carlo defeat
Jack Draper’s clay-court inexperience was exposed by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the unpredictable Spaniard who eliminated him from the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
In an exhausting and see-sawing three-setter, Draper never quite located the rhythm that had made him one of the three or four best performers on the ATP Tour this season.
His first serve failed to make its usual impact, landing only 48 per cent of the time. And there were also 10 double-faults, including the one that concluded Davidovich Fokina’s 6-3, 6-7 (8-6), 6-4 victory in two hours 46 minutes.
Draper’s general naivety on the clay could be seen in his muddled tactical approach, for he never established any reliable patterns of play. The same heavy topspin groundstrokes which had demolished Marcos Giron in the previous round just kept coming back with interest.
A quick look at the two men’s respective records show that Davidovich Fokina, who grew up on the clay courts of Malaga, was playing his 82nd match on this surface at ATP level.
The equivalent figure for Draper was just 22, and a victory here – which was not far from his grasp, despite numerous teething issues – would have seen him reach a clay-court quarter-final for the first time at Masters 1000 level.
From the off, Draper was clearly discomfited by Davidovich Fokina’s quirky game style, which relied heavily on drop shots and a punishing backhand down the line.
Draper also used the drop shot frequently, but his changes of pace were far less effective. In the decisive game at the end of the match, he twice invited his opponent forward unwisely. Neither strategy worked, giving Davidovich Fokina a 0-30 head start. Moments later, that final double-fault concluded a disappointing showing.
The defeat was only the fourth of what has been an excellent season to date for Draper. He retired with an injury against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, then went down to Andrey Rublev in the final of Doha before being ambushed by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik – the eventual champion – in Miami a fortnight ago.
In between those last two matches, Draper landed the biggest title of his career when he overcame Denmark’s Holger Rune in the final of Indian Wells.
A former finalist at Monte-Carlo, Davidovich Fokina is an awkward opponent who frequently follows brilliant games with dreadful ones, as he did on several occasions here. He loves playing against left-handers, because of the quality of his backhand, and has now won six straight matches against them.
Davidovich Fokina’s most famous comment came in a Wimbledon post-match press conference two years ago, after he had botched a deciding-set tie-break against Rune by tossing in an underarm serve at 8-8. Asked to explain the decision afterwards, he simply replied “I s--- myself.”
In his on-court interview after the Draper match, Davidovich Fokina again turned the air blue. “Today was a roller coaster with my mind,” he said. “My mind was saying me a lot of bulls---, I didn’t know how to control my emotions. Was very emotional to play here, I didn’t respect for myself and my team. I am so sorry how I did it today but I am happy for the win and I will try to improve for tomorrow.”
Draper’s struggles on serve in number
A better serving day and I think Draper gets over the line. Today he hit:
Five aces, 10 double faults, made 48 per cent of first serves, won 49 per cent of points on his second serve and hit 46 unforced errors.
On Tuesday, he hit five aces, two double faults, made 63 per cent of first serves, won 56 per cent of points on his second serve and hit 17 unforced errors.
Big difference in the two matches this week.
Draper* 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6 Davidovich Fokina
D-Fokina opens the game with overhead smash winner. Draper hits a nice drop shot but D-Fokina hits an even better one for a winner, 0-30. What a time to do it.
This time D-Fokina hits a drop shot, Draper reaches it easily and whips a forehand into the corner for a winner, 15-30. D-Fokina gets a look at a backhand down the line but nets, 30-all. Relief for Draper but he’s not out of the woods yet.
Wild forehand by Draper flies long, match point D-Fokina. 50 minutes after his first.
Oh dear. Draper double fault. GAME SET MATCH DAVIDOVICH FOKINA!
Draper 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 2-3 Davidovich Fokina*
This topsy-turvy match takes another twist as Draper earns himself two break points. Fortunately for D-Fokina he finds his first serve to see off the threat.
Draper gets a third break point chance but D-Fokina escapes. A fourth break point for Draper comes his way. D-Fokina miraculously finds the side line with a forehand and finishes with a smash. Gutsy play.
D-Fokina drop shot, Draper hustles up to it and whips a forehand into the corner for a winner. D-Fokina forehand long and Draper breaks again.
Draper* 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-3 Davidovich Fokina
Draper appears to be struggling physically to me. Two bad drop shots in a row but him trouble at 15-30. The next point, he hits a double break to gift D-Fokina two break points.
D-Fokina works Draper left then right, closes the net and finishes with a volley winner. D-Fokina breaks and Draper must respond again.
‘What to make of ADF?’
What to make of ADF? He came out for the third set and hit his opening serve beyond the baseline, then went 0-40 down in an apparent display of tanking.
From there, he suddenly seemed to relax and won 13 of 15 points, barely missing a ball. And then Draper hit one dominant return – and ADF is broken from 30-0. As you were.
Draper 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-2 Davidovich Fokina*
D-Fokina has won 13 of the last 15 points as he moves to 30-0. But Draper wins the next two to make it 30-all. Massive point coming up.
D-Fokina backhand wide, break point Draper. And D-Fokina’s capitulation is complete as another error gives Draper the game.
Draper breaks back!
Final Set: Draper 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 0-1 Davidovich Fokina*
Short delay as D-Fokina uses every minute of the time allocated to him between sets. And the stoppage hasn’t helped him. He shanks his first serve of the set long, then nets a backhand and puts a forehand into the tramlines to slip to 0-40.
D-Fokina manages to save the first two break points but there’s one more chance for Draper. Good volley by D-Fokina off a decent backhand pass by Draper, the Briton chases the ball but nets his forehand. D-Fokina survives.
Huge roar from D-Fokina as he holds serve. Will Draper rue not taking his chances there?
Draper 3-6, 6-6 Davidovich Fokina - TIEBREAK
Draper backhand down the line into the net, 4-3. Sliced D-Fokina backhand drifts just wide, 5-3. Oh dear. Draper double faults, his eighth of the match, 5-4. D-Fokina backhand volley winner, 5-5.
Draper backhand flies long, 5-6. Draper finds the leftie swinging serve and D-Fokina can’t get the ball into play, 6-6.
Draper 3-6, 6-6 Davidovich Fokina - TIEBREAK
Draper drags a backhand long, 0-1. Then a shanked forehand by Draper flies long. 0-2. D-Fokina drop shots into the net, 1-2. Big Draper forehand winner down the line, 2-2. Good volley by Draper, 3-2. Brilliant from Draper, turning defence to offense with a whipped cross court forehand winner, 4-2.
Draper* 3-6, 6-5 Davidovich Fokina
Draper nets a backhand after being rushed by D-Fokina, 15-30. Important moments here. Draper shanks a forehand long. Two break points.
Draper ticks one off with a forehand winner. Desperately needs a first serve here... he can’t find it. But he digs in, hitting a nice drop shot and finishing the point with a volley winner.
And for the 2nd time in the set he holds from 15-40 and books at himself a tie-break.
‘Big turnaround there with Draper’
Big turnaround there with Draper saving break points before claiming three straight games. An interesting test of the Davidovich Fokina temperament. It hasn’t always been his strong point.
Technically, look out for the Spanish forehand which went missing in that last sequence of points.
Draper 3-6, 4-4 Davidovich Fokina*
D-Fokina has gone AWOL and Draper has taken full advantage, winning 16 of the last 22 points to earn two break points at 15-40.
D-Fokina saves the first then the second when Draper mis-hits a forehand wide. And D-Fokina stops the rot to stabilise things. Heading into the business end now!
‘Shot-selection by Davidovich Fokina is outstanding to date’
The extra clay-court experience of Davidovich Fokina can be seen in the canny way he assembles his points.
The shot-selection is outstanding to date, and when you look at their careers, Tennis Abstract is showing 173 previous clay-court matches for the Spaniard and just 40 for Draper before today.
Draper* 3-6, 2-3 Davidovich Fokina
After a couple of minutes, play resumes here. Can Draper refocus and find a way back into this?
He moves to 40-15 then drags a forehand into the tramlines, his 18th unforced error. He then hits a backhand error into the tramlines and it is deuce.
Draper just isn’t able to blast through D-Fokina and he strikes a wild forehand long. Break point. Better from Draper as he goes on the attack and forces the error from D-Fokina. Sounds like the crowd is willing him to stay in the match.
But a rushed forehand into the net gives D-Fokina another break point. Draper forehand winner saves the day for now.
And he holds onto his serve when he drives a backhand cross court and D-Fokina can’t get his volley into play.
Draper* 3-6, 1-2 Davidovich Fokina
D-Fokina has won five games in a row now and Draper’s mood is becoming increasingly irritated. You can hear him grunting from the baseline as he exerts himself.
Another brilliantly played drop shot by D-Fokina is beyond Draper’s reach, 30-30. Big slice of luck for Draper as his forehand drop shot clips the net cord and drops in on D-Fokina’s side.
Draper 3-6, 0-2 Davidovich Fokina*
Time for Draper to dig in here before the match gets away from him. Backhand wide by D-Fokina makes it 30-30. Important point coming up...
Expertly executed wrong footing backhand down the line by D-Fokina. Perfect clay court play by the Spaniard. And he consolidates the break with a forehand winner.
Second Set: Draper* 3-6, 0-1 Davidovich Fokina
Draper will want to start the set strongly but he does the opposite, hitting back-to-back double faults. Draper doesn’t do enough with his backhand pass and D-Fokina hits a volley winner, 15-40.
Draper saves the first break point but a third double fault of the game sees him concede the game.
Uphill task for the British No 1 now.
‘Draper’s length hasn’t been up to the necessary level’
It’s interesting to see Davidovich Fokina leading Draper for winners. These clay courts are all about depth: if you’re at the back of the court in a neutral position, it’s tough to hit through your opponent.
The chances come when the ball is shorter and Draper’s length hasn’t been up to the necessary level thus far. Also, the stats show that Draper’s first serve isn’t doing a lot of damage, with a win-rate of just 56 per cent.
Draper 3-6 Davidovich Fokina*
Back comes Draper. Just like in the third game of the match, the Briton hits back on D-Fokina’s serve and moves to 0-30.
Tim Henman-esque closing of the net by Draper after a forehand down the line and he finishes with a volley winner, 15-40.
D-Fokina saves the first break point. And the second, displaying calm and poise to finish at the net with a volley winner.
D-Fokina forehand into the net hands Draper another break point chance. D-Fokina keeps coming forward, playing with aggression and he hits a forehand winner.
Draper dumps a forehand into the net and D-Fokina has his first set point. D-Fokina squandered it but earns another chance...
And he takes it. Draper forehand wide and the D-Fokina takes the set.
Draper* 3-5 Davidovich Fokina
Draper drops the ball short and D-Fokina steps in to punish him. Another D-Fokina winner after a poor drop shot by Draper leads to a ‘wake up’ outburst by the Briton. Three break points.
Draper goes on the attack with his forehand and comes into the net, D-Fokina drills a backhand down the line and Draper nets the tough volley.
Draper is furious with himself. D-Fokina breaks and will serve for the set.
‘Davidovich enjoyed a clay-court upbringing’
There’s a notable difference between Davidovich Fokina and Draper’s last opponent Marcos Giron, a hard-working American who is one of the smallest men in the top 50 at under 5ft 11in tall.
Giron, who grew up on American hard courts, was easily discomfited by balls that climbed towards his shoulders, whereas Russian-Spanish D-Fokina is that bit taller at 6ft and enjoyed a clay-court upbringing. He is murdering the high, slow balls, which puts a premium on Draper keeping penetration on his groundstrokes.
Draper 2-3 Davidovich Fokina*
As my good colleague Simon says, D-Fokina can be brilliant one minute and pretty hopeless the next. It is clear that the drop shot will play a major part in the match.
D-Fokina moves to 40-15 but Draper makes it deuce when he hits a volley winner into the open court after a nice drop shot dragged D-Fokina forward.
A bit of good fortune for D-Fokina with a net cord and he volleys into the vacant space to hold.
‘Davidovich Fokina is a tricky fellow to predict’
Davidovitch Fokina is a tricky fellow to predict: he’s played a brilliant game to break and then completely lost focus with four unforced errors in a row to hand the break straight back. He’s confounded people over the years with his unpredictability so it’s a challenge to stay calm.
Draper* 0-2 Davidovich Fokina
Careless volly from Draper goes long on the first point. He hasn’t settled into the match yet. A double fault from Draper puts D-Fokina up 15-30.
Nice drop shot from D-Fokina, Draper chases after it and gets there but flicks his backhand wide. Two break points for D-Fokina. Draper saves the first with an unreturned first serve. Then the second with an ace. Clinical.
D-Fokina doesn’t think the call is right and wants a replay check. It is very very very close judging by the replay. The ball just catches the back edge and D-Fokina finally relents.
Early stages but Draper will not have his own way today. Will need to stay patient against a very disciplined player.
D-Fokina executes a drop shot to perfection and earns a break point. Draper second serve long and D-Fokina breaks.
That was the pressure folks.
First Set: Jack Draper 0-1 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina* (denotes server)
D-Fokina loves the clay and has reached the final here in 2022. Important that Draper makes an early statement and sets the tone that he will dictate how things go.
A couple of loose errors from Draper means D-Fokina moves to 40-15 and another missed return means the Spaniard holds in the opening game.
Draper back in Monte-Carlo action
Hello and welcome to coverage from Monte-Carlo of Jack Draper’s third round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The British No 1 sailed through his second round clash with Marcos Giron, winning in straight sets. He needed just one hour to win 6-1, 6-1 with a performance that suggests his big-hitting game could suit the slow clay.
“There aren’t easy conditions here, sometimes it’s lively, sometimes it’s a bit slower when you’re playing a bit later, but I feel like I’ve been transitioning well to the clay,” said Draper. “I’ve been working really hard to look for my forehand and do all the right things to be effective on this surface because I’ve struggled a little bit [on it] over the last couple of years but hopefully, with my new tennis, I can have a good run.”
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic crashed out of the tournament on Wednesday after a straight-sets defeat to Alejandro Tabilo.
Chilean Tabilo had beaten the world number five on clay in Rome last year, and built on a solid start to the second-round match before securing a 6-3, 6-4 win in just under an hour-and-a-half on Court Rainier III.
Djokovic’s wait for a 100th ATP Tour title goes on, having lost to teenager Jakub Mensik in last month’s Miami Masters final.
Tabilo, ranked 32 in the world, broke twice in the opening set, with Djokovic looking rather subdued playing his first match back on clay since winning Olympic gold last summer.
Djokovic’s wayward returns continued to prove costly as Tabilo - who beat Stan Wawrinka in the first round - built on an early break in the second before closing out an impressive victory to take his place in the last 16.
“I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” Djokovic said.
“I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.
“A horrible feeling to play this way, and just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.”