British No 1 Jack Draper says he is hoping for a “great contest” when he takes on good friend Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.

After going the distance against both Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Draper again came from two sets to one down to see off unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic on Friday.

Draper could not be separated from his unheralded opponent until a deciding tie-break, which he edged to clinch a 6-4 2-6 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) victory at 12.55am.

Draper barely had the energy to celebrate and, having spent more than 12 and a half hours on court during his three matches, he must now try to recover for a first Grand Slam meeting with third seed Alcaraz.

Draper had been due to spend a week training with Alcaraz in southern Spain in December but that was scuppered by his hip injury.

The pair have played three previous matches and Draper can take confidence from having won their most recent contest at Queen’s Club last summer – although he does not consider that particularly relevant.

“The grass obviously is a win but I think he just came off the French Open and had a bit of time off,” said Draper. “I had just won Stuttgart, and the grass is a completely different ball game.

“I know what to expect from him. He’s going to come out with a lot of energy, and obviously he’s a special talent.

“I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances. Against the top players, you get less and less chances to win games and sets and all these sorts of things.

“I need to be brave in the way I play but I’m expecting him to come out and know that I’ve played three five-setters and know that he’s got a battle on his hands, and he’s going to have to play good. It will be a great contest, I’m sure.”

Draper credits change in breathing technique

Draper has broken down physically in a number of matches, struggling with cramp several times, while he vomited after his first-round match in Melbourne last year and during the US Open semi-final.

He believes anxiety has played a part, but also revealed he used the time he was sidelined by a hip injury in pre-season to alter the way he breathes during matches.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work in general over time. It seems like maybe, by having that time off with my hip, I was able to focus on a few different things.

“I was working a lot with a breathing coach and just trying to understand that a bit better. So I think that’s really helping.

“I had a lot of problems with my sinuses when I was younger, so I breathe a lot through my mouth. Obviously when you are anxious or when you have long points and you have to recover quickly, it’s not efficient to breathe through your mouth.

“So I’ve been trying to reverse what I do and breathe through my nose a lot better. I think sometimes you don’t realise how uptight your body is.

“Especially me, because I’ve always been someone who likes to try hard, and I think sometimes it’s just you have to relax. Especially in tennis, because you need to be free to let your muscles do what they need to do. So, obviously, if you’re tense the whole time, you’re not going to last too long.”

Draper admitted his critics were right to question his staying power but was proud to have put those doubts to bed with a stunning success against Vukic.

Asked if he had a message for those who have doubted him, Draper was bluntly honest, saying: “No, not really.

“It’s the truth. I’m done after two sets most of the time. That’s just the way it is and that’s something that I’m aware of and I needed to be better at that.

“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that I’m mentally and physically (capable) – three five-set matches, it doesn’t happen often.

“That’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in. So I’m very, very proud of that. I’m obviously not feeling incredibly fresh right now, but I’ll recover again. I’ll do my best to go again for another one.”

Can Draper recover for ultimate test?

Draper had hoped for another night match against Alcaraz, but instead will have to play through the heat of the day with the contest against the Spaniard scheduled on Rod Laver Arena at 3.30pm local time.

In more bad news for Draper, it is forecast to be the hottest day of the tournament so far, with temperatures in the mid-30s, so it will be a serious test of his already tired body.

Draper, who had never previously been beyond the second round at the Australian Open, has played in three of the 13 longest matches of the tournament and spent more than twice as long on court as Alcaraz, who has only dropped one set.

On how he would try to recover, Draper added: “The main thing is just to not think about the tennis at all and switch off from it and try and just relax. Hopefully, the body will be OK. I’m expecting to be really sore.”

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