Jack Draper found himself in a controversy he never wanted to be a part of, and he wasn't thrilled by some of the comments about him afterward.
It was a match at the Cincinnati Open against Felix Auger-Aliassime, and it was a great battle. It went the full distance to a third set, in which Draper was able to play himself to a 5-4 lead and a 40-30 score on his serve.
It was a match point for him, but the match ended in a hugely controversial call. It was likely one of the most controversial calls recently because it ended a match that should haven't ended.
Draper played an illegal shot, which was missed by the umpire, Greg Allensworth, who ruled on the spot that it was a valid shot and the match was over. Auger-Aliassime was stunned by the umpire's decision, but he argued his point calmly.
The British player was present as well, even though he only resorted to suggesting a replay of the point, which wasn't possible. It was either his point or Auger-Aliassime's point, and the umpire ruled in favor of the former.
In the aftermath of that, Draper received some heat on social media from fans who suggested that he must have been aware of what had happened, but he just pretended not to know.
Some other players made similar suggestions when asked about it, and he wasn't happy about it. Speaking to the media ahead of the 2024 US Open, Draper admitted that he was hurt by comments that called his sportsmanship into question.
He deems himself a very respectful player on the court. He was fairly emotional as he explained to the media how the situation consumed him in the days after.
"I was thinking about it four days non stop. I was really upset by it. I think it's respect, honesty, fair play. I've done it on the tour before, where I've maybe given a second serve because there's been a loud noise or something. I always play by those things."
"But honestly, in that moment, I couldn't do anything because that was the honest truth of it. I think anyone would be lying if they're saying they're not hurt by seeing a lot of comments saying 'you're a cheat, you're a liar'. And that I would have done this, and I would have done that."
Draper has largely avoided any controversy so far in his career, but this instance left him quite shaken. It was the first time in his career that he experienced people calling his integrity into question. He accepts it as part of being a top athlete, but it hurts him on a personal level.
"It's hard in that situation to know what to do and also it's good because it's my first experience of sort of having negativity and having criticism, and that's all part of being a top athlete."
"I think it's good for me to sort of go through this almost, and understand that people are going to be quick to jump on your back. People questioned my integrity, which is fine, but I was definitely hurt by it."
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