British men’s No 1 reflects on his best year on tour, including a first slam semi-final but also some controversy

Deep inside the Vienna Ice Skating Club, an enormous ice rink temporarily adapted into indoor tennis courts in October, Jack Draper was hard at work before one of his final tournaments of the season. His sparring partner for the day was Frances Tiafoe, a fellow top-20 player well known for his humour even in the searing heat of battle. As they toiled through practice sets, the American kept on reacting to their spectacular winners by glancing down the court, each time trying to catch his opponent’s eye so that he could crack another joke.

Draper, however, had other priorities. The British No 1 was completely locked in, focused only on extracting the best out of himself in their limited time on court. He played some brutal, attacking tennis in the process and after an hour of great intensity, their practice ended with Draper leading by a set.