Jack Draper admitted his frustration had boiled over after he smashed a racket en route to beating Czech qualifier Vit Kopria in straight sets at the Italian Open in Rome.

The British number one and world number five was a set and a break up but had passed up the chance to break Kopria again to make it 4-1 when he angrily struck his racket a number of times against the clay court.

Draper, whose 6-4 6-3 victory saw him advance to a last-16 clash with Frenchman Corentin Moutet, told Sky Sports: “It was a tough match, definitely against a guy who is a bit unknown, but he’s won a lot of matches here. He’s feeling good.

“I knew coming in it’s another match, another chance to try and put my game out on the court. I felt a little bit low in energy. My feet weren’t working as well as I wanted them to. But I tried to fight hard and find a way.

“Obviously, the frustration boiled out a little bit too much in the end, but I stayed at it and came through.”

Draper won only three of the 13 break-point opportunities he had been offered by Kopriva, which saw the battle go on for an hour and 41 minutes.

“I’m human. We don’t always wake up out of bed feeling great. I’m the same,” Draper added.

“I get out of bed and I feel so angry some days, and I’ve got to play a tennis match and I’ve got to lose points and I’ve got to go through those emotional ups and downs, even with that going on.

“I think I’ve played a lot of tennis, a lot of matches, and I’m getting used to that. I’m in a new position now, my ranking is obviously going up, and I’m getting to compete week in, week out and play lots of matches.

“It’s taking some getting used to for me from a mental and physical side, and I want to keep going, but it’s sometimes difficult to always be perfect.”

Tale of the Tape

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