John McEnroe salutes Jack Draper after 4:35 comeback over Thanasi Kokkinakis at Australian Open

Jack Draper received a ringing endorsement for a herculean effort at the 2025 Australian Open early Thursday morning when he met former world No. 1 John McEnroe on court after a four hour, 35-minute comeback over Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The high-quality contest saw both men striking more winners than errors, Draper ending with an impeccable +35 differential thanks to 65 winners to just 30 unforced errors over five sets.

“As an ex-player and a commentator who calls a lot of matches, I think I speak on behalf of the crowd when I say thank you to you and your opponent for witnessing one of the great matches and efforts that I’ve seen in quite a while,” said McEnroe, joined by applause from the John Cain Arena crowd. “Really well done.

“Now, tell me how the hell you just pulled that off?”

Draper, the No. 15 seed, was as surprised as McEnroe after trailing home favorite Kokkinakis by two sets to one and dealing with a hip injury that threatened his participation at the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

“I didn’t play for a few weeks,” explained Draper, who is into the third round of the Australian Open for the first time. “In the off-season, I was on the sidelines, not really playing. I didn’t know if I was going to be fit to come here. I know that my tennis is improving. This match would have really helped me.

“The first match was [also] four hours,” added the Brit. “I don’t want to be out here for that long!”

Kokkinakis is no stranger to injuries or a long match himself, needing four sets to defeat Roman Safiullin after withdrawing from his home event in Adelaide due to a shoulder injury.

Still, the sentimental favorite put himself in a winning position after three sets, only for Draper to turn the tables and continue an impressive upward trajectory—having ended 2024 with a run to the US Open semifinals and a first ATP 500 title in Vienna.

“This is what I’ve played for since I was a young guy,” said Draper. “I wanted to play in front of big crowds, whether you guys are with me or against me.

“It was a tough atmosphere to deal with. Obviously you were all with Thanasi but I had a little fun back as well. It was so good to be out here, and I’m really happy with the amount of support we get here at these big tournaments. It’s unbelievable.”

Aiming to recover and reach the second week, the 23-year-old will next face another Aussie in Aleksandar Vukic, who upset No. 22 seed Sebastian Korda in a five-setter of his own earlier in the day; the pair have never played before.

“I’m getting better each set,” said a confident Draper after 10 sets in two matches—and nearly nine hours on court. “I’m really proud with how I’m going with my tennis.”