Jack Draper will have until the last moment to prove his fitness as the British number one looks to shake off fatigue ahead of Britain’s opening Davis Cup match on Wednesday.
Draper, who arrived in Manchester to join his team-mates on Tuesday lunchtime, admitted after his career-best performance to the US Open semi-finals that he was “battered” by the loss to world number one and eventual winner Jannik Sinner.
And while team captain Leon Smith is delighted to have his highest-ranked player among his group of players here, “risk versus reward” is at the forefront of his thinking with draws against Argentina and Canada, on Friday and Sunday respectively, following Wednesday’s opening game against Finland.
“We’re absolutely delighted he’s coming,” Smith said. “It shows his commitment.”
‘I’ve talked a lot with him about the Davis Cup. Obviously he came to Colombia last year and then he was involved in what we did in September and November.
Jack Draper faces a radical change after his US Open semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner
Davis Cup captain Leon Smith is keen to give the British number one enough time to recover before joining up with the team for clashes against Finland, Argentina and Canada.
Draper (far right) has been part of several Davis Cup teams since joining the team last year.
‘You can tell straight away that he wins the Davis Cup: he plays with passion, pride, fight, and if you add to that the fact that he is a top 20 player with incredible quality, he will be a very important member of the team not only this week but for many, many, many years to come.
“He loves it and his commitment to coming here shows that.”
Asked if Draper, who is practicing off-site in Manchester on Tuesday, has a chance of playing in one of the early singles matches, Smith is playing the long game, hinting that his star player will get extra rest.
“I have to select the team that will do the best, not only for tomorrow, but also because we have very important games at the weekend, so we just have to weigh up the risks and rewards a little bit,” he said.
“Until we get on the court and start doing some things it’s pretty hard to know how he feels (about him).
The Briton had a gruelling tie against the world number one, in which he was increasingly affected by the humidity and nausea.
If Draper is unavailable for the opening game against Finland, he will likely play later in the week (from left: Henry Patten, Billy Harris, Smith, Dan Evans and Neal Skupski)
That being said, we have four guys here who are more than capable of going out tomorrow if needed and doing a very good job.”
There is no denying that Draper is the star of the show and an appearance here would allow a partisan home crowd to celebrate their new superstar after his semi-final run in New York.
But if Draper, who is eager to play despite his fatigue, is unable to play Wednesday against Finland, Dan Evans and Billy Harris represent options in singles, with Neal Skupski and Henry Patten contenders in doubles.
Draper, 22, flew back to the UK on Saturday and has been in constant communication with Smith about his energy levels.
“The Davis Cup is very important to me,” Draper said in New York last week.
The 22-year-old has spoken openly about his love of Davis Cup tennis and playing for his country with the team.
“I never really understood it until I touched it for the first time. When we went to Colombia (last February), I asked myself: ‘Should I go or not?’
‘But I went and saw how important it is for everyone, how important it is to be there representing your country.
‘Even though the tennis calendar is full and relentless, I’ve barely had a day off since the beginning of the year, I want to be there, I want to compete for my country.
“I’ll talk to my team but I want to be there on Wednesday.”
