Jack Draper says his trio of five-set victories at the Australian Open are evidence of the hard work he has put into his career, effort that is finally paying off for him in the biggest matches.

“I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that I’ve come through three five-set matches, mentally and physically, it doesn’t happen often,” said Draper. “That’s a testament to the work I’ve done and the place I’m in. So very, very proud of that.”

At 12:55am on Saturday morning in Melbourne, Draper, the 15th seed, closed out his third five-set win in as many matches to reach the fourth round with a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8) victory over Aleksandar Vukic of Australia. Two days after Thanasi Kokkinakis served for the match against the Briton in the fourth set of their epic, this time Vukic was two points away from defeating Draper at 5-5 in the first tie-break.

“The tie-break in the fourth set, I don’t think either of us played a loose point,” said Draper. “I think both of us played really good tennis. I was brave, especially towards the end. In the fifth-set tie-break it was tough. Obviously went three-love up. The momentum changes. Especially in 10-point tie-breaks. It’s tough. It’s like pot luck. I was brave in the moments that mattered. My coach was telling me to be aggressive when I could, and I did a good job of showing that side.”

Asked if he had a message for those who doubted his physicality, Draper declined and noted that understanding his earlier physical limitations was an important part of his growth. “No, not really. It’s the truth. I’m done after two sets most of the time. I mean, that’s just the way it is, and that’s something that I’m aware of, and I needed to be better at,” said Draper.

He will next face Carlos Alcaraz, the four-time grand slam champion, in an extremely exciting match up. “Carlos is a special talent and an unbelievable player, someone I have a good friendship with so I think it’s gonna be an incredible match. Hopefully my body pulls up, I can give it my all and it will be a great contest.”