Jack Draper Gets Too Real About ‘Awkward’ Moments Players Deal With During Anti-Doping Process

Jack Draper is chasing his second title of the season, following the Indian Wells Masters he lifted by beating Holger Rune.

Jack Draper Gets Too Real About ‘Awkward’ Moments Players Deal With During Anti-Doping Process

Jack Draper (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

When Tallon Griekspoor‘s bladder made him wait for three hours, he ended up watching an X Game with an anti-doping official, before finally he got up to answer nature’s call. This was just one of the many weird moments players have faced during the anti-doping tests.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray suffered from “violent diarrhea” in front of the anti-doping official who was “staring right in my face“. When Jack Draper, after his first-round win at the French Open, was asked about how it feels when someone watches him pee, the 23-year-old just got too real about the “awkward moments“.

It’s obviously a difficult moment, right? You kind of…sometimes you push so hard that you’re farting and you’re right next to them. So it’s a tough job for them as well. I always keep that in mind, like, some people get annoyed and stuff because it is a very intimate situation. But at the end of the day, I feel for that person as well…it’s their job.

Jack Draper said at the press conference

The tennis world last year was rocked by two high-profile anti-doping cases. World No.1 Jannik Sinner and World No.5 Iga Swiatek tested positive for clostebol and trimetazidine, respectively.

Though they were victims of accidental contamination, the verdict given by the anti-doping agencies was questioned, given that the two top players were handed short bans but many players before were forced to miss one or more than a year.

Last month, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) once again created quite a stir in the tennis world. Though it’s not mandatory to shower before the doping tests, if the players want to, then they will have to remain in full view of the chaperones.

Jack Draper clinches his first win at the French Open

Before this year, Jack Draper never progressed to the second round of the French Open. He got knocked out of the tournament after defeat in the first round the last two seasons. In the ongoing tournament, he dropped a set against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci but changed the momentum completely in his favor in the next set and did not look back.

Jack Draper (via X/ATP)
Jack Draper (via X/ATP)

Very happy. It seems strange, yes. Obviously, I lost here a couple of times. The first time was a bit strange, to be honest, due to my arm. Last year was very tough, but I think it was a very important moment for me and my career. It was memorable for both good and bad reasons. I think winning my first match here is amazing.

Jack Draper said at the press conference

With his 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win, Draper has now set up a second-round clash with former World No.6 Gael Monfils. Draper has met the 2008 French Open semifinalist once, in the 2022 Canadian Open fourth round which he won. Before setting up the clash with the Briton, the home favorite knocked out Hugo Dellien.

If Draper reaches the quarterfinal, he could meet Jannik Sinner, who was the semifinalist last year. The World No.5 is projected to meet last year’s French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinal.

In the final, he could face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who he defeated this year in the Indian Wells semifinal (but lost in the quarterfinal of the Italian Open).

Draper, who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open last year, is chasing his second title of the season, having won the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells by beating Holger Rune. He also reached the final of the Madrid Open but lost the title to three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud.

Also read: Coco Gauff Gives Insightful Reason About Roland Garros not Scheduling Any Women’s Matches During Night Session