Draper explodes in rage mid-match, smashing racquet and gouging the court during a tense Rome win

The 23-year-old British tennis star won in straight sets against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva, but the 6-4, 6-3 scoreline masked a fiercely fought encounter in which Draper’s frustration erupted spectacularly in the second set.

As Kopriva dug deep to save four break points and claw his way back to 3-2, Draper crumbled under the pressure. After netting a drop shot on game point, the fifth seed lost control. He slammed his racquet into the clay four times in succession before hurling it to the ground beside his chair. The racket was obliterated. The court? Left with three visible divots at its centre.

Umpire intervention came swiftly, with Draper handed a formal warning. But the message was clear: the British number one was on edge.

Draper, ranked world number five and fresh off his Madrid Open final appearance, had entered the tournament with momentum. He cruised through the first set in just 41 minutes, never once losing serve. But Kopriva, ranked 92nd, refused to roll over. The 26-year-old Czech made life uncomfortable for Draper with his defiant defence and stubborn resilience.

Even after the outburst, the pressure refused to relent. Kopriva, smelling blood, raced to a 40-0 lead in the next game. But just as he looked poised to break, he squandered a golden opportunity by misfiring a routine backhand long. It proved costly.

Draper dug in, held serve for 4-2, and clawed back control. Still, Kopriva didn’t go quietly. When Draper earned two match points on his opponent’s serve, he had to watch both vanish—one wiped away by Kopriva’s grit, the other thanks to a cruel twist of irony: a bad bounce off one of the very divots Draper had carved into the court during his earlier meltdown.

But persistence paid off. On his third match point, Draper sealed the win. He finished with 21 winners—more than double Kopriva’s tally—but also racked up a worrying 37 unforced errors.

“It was a tough match,” Draper told Sky Sports after the clash. “I felt a little 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.”

He didn’t hide from the ugly moment either.

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

Then came the human admission.

“I’m human. We don’t always wake up feeling great. I’m the same. I’ve played a lot of tennis, a lot of matches. I’m in a new position now, my ranking is obviously going up… It’s taking some getting used to for me mentally and physically.”

Next up for Draper is world number 83 Corentin Moutet. The unpredictable Frenchman arrives with confidence, having stunned ninth seed Holger Rune in a gruelling four-hour battle. Moutet’s 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) triumph marks his first-ever win over a top-10 player, setting the stage for what promises to be another emotional rollercoaster in Rome.

For Draper, the challenge is now twofold: win the match, and keep the racquet intact.