Carlos Alcaraz will be joined by Jack Draper at his Alicante training base.
Jack Draper will head to Alicante to train with Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty)
Carlos Alcaraz is set to begin his pre-season training block with Jack Draper in tow.
The world No. 15 will be heading to Alicante to spend a week with the four-time Major winner after being told to leave the UK and practice elsewhere.
DON’T MISS
But Draper won’t be the only one hitting with Alcaraz at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy, as one of their rivals is set to gatecrash the party.
Last month, it emerged that Draper was planning to spend four weeks training at the National Tennis Centre in London before flying to Spain to work with Alcaraz at the Spaniard’s coach’s academy.
But world No. 3 Alcaraz has been busy during the off-season, playing exhibition matches in New York and Charlotte.
Jack Draper has often struggled playing in hot conditions (Image: Getty)
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After scheduling their practice week with Alcaraz, Draper’s coach James Trotman told Mail Sport: “It’s incredibly important to spend time with the best players, experience that on a daily basis. We’re looking forward to it.”
The decision to head to Alicante comes after Draper was told to stop training in the UK. Andy Roddick said Draper needed to find “another base” in the heat.
Mark Petchey went a step further, suggesting the Brit should move abroad to a “hot, humid place.” The 22-year-old has often struggled with intense conditions on the court.
He threw up after his five-set win at the Australian Open in January and sprayed vomit on the court during his US Open semi-final in September.
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At the Olympics, Draper grappled with the heat and blasted organisers for not giving them good enough access to cold water. “I mean it was tough conditions, there’s no doubt about it, I need to play more in this sort of heat,” he added.
The Brit still enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning his first two titles in Stuttgart and Vienna, and reaching a career-high of No. 15. He also beat Alcaraz at the Queen’s Club in June.
DON’T MISS
World No. 3 Alcaraz will be keen to get a better insight into Draper’s game when they practice together in Alicante. The pair already have a close relationship, with the Spaniard reaching out to his rival during difficult periods.
“I was actually speaking to Jack Draper back in Miami after he’d had to pull out of the tournament there having injured himself in Indian Wells,” Laura Robson said last year.
“He was getting texts from Carlos saying, ‘Let me know if you need anything. Reach out if you want to have a chat about how you’re feeling, about having so many injuries on and off’.”
