Jack Draper entered the ATP top 30 for the first time this year after beating Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s.
It was gruelling for Britain’s only male hopeful left in the singles, as Jack Draper succumbed to both Taylor Fritz and the unforgiving sun.
Draper squandered a one-set lead to lose to 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, after two hours and 13 minutes on court in his Olympics second round clash.
As the Parisian sun beat down to take temperatures to the mid-30s, the British number one explained that he was forced to drink warm water throughout, spending the changeovers filling up their bottles rather than resting.
Clearly uncomfortable on the court, whenever he did get a moment’s rest, he covered his face with ice packs.
Jack Draper complains to the referee about player welfare at the Olympics
Draper had started very positively, edging through a tight first set tie-break, however the eros crept in and with a slight trudge, the Brit bowed out.
In quotes reported by the Daily Express, Draper shared what he told the referee.
“I mean, look, a part of it is physicality but I just think it’s – I said to the referee, it’s pretty poor that the players have to drink hot water when we’re playing in those conditions,” he said.
“We did have ice towels and stuff but usually it’s important that we have good fridges to keep our water cool but it’s so tough to recover when you’re just not replenishing properly and all those sorts of things.
“There’s no escape from the heat. Even at the change of ends, there’s no escape from it. So it was difficult.”
It has broadly been a magnificent season for Draper which saw him get the better of Carlos Alcaraz, just weeks after his French Open triumph.
The heat today clearly affected him, with the Brit trying to shorten the points and find winners much earlier, eventually causing an increase in errors.
The Olympic tennis has been somewhat stained by controversy
Tuesday’s Olympic tennis schedule has seen no shortage of drama, with Coco Gauff crying during her controversial defeat to Donna Vekic.
The American had a lengthy on-court spat with the umpire after disagreement over a line-call.
Even before the tournament started, many high profile stars including Emma Raducanu and Ons Jabeur complained that the quick surface change from grass to clay was dangerous for the players.
Draper’s complaints over the on-court treatment were totally legitimate, with the lack of increased provision of water and the access to better facilities, clearly overlooked.
With this controversy simply the latest in a growing list, tennis organisers will be hoping for a far smoother run-in to the finals.
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