As 15,000 people cheered on his potential demise late into Thursday night, for a sustained period Jack Draper looked completely frazzled. He found himself playing a few too many drop shots, bailing out of points instead of slamming the door shut. His first serve had vacated the premises.
These things often happen in Gaël Monfils’ lair, Court Philippe-Chatrier, where his magnetic personality draws his home crowd into a frenzy and his singular style plays tricks with an opponent’s mind. Despite being pushed to his limits and standing on the verge of an uncertain fifth set, Draper gave another demonstration of his mental durability by finding his way through to the third round of the French Open with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.
