Draper’s Heart Is Back in It After Tragic Loss

Scott Draper didn’t win a tennis match Tuesday but he won the more important battle of self-discovery.

A year ago, his wife of 18 months, Kellie, 24, died of cystic fibrosis. Draper, 26, a native of Australia, said the time since has been the toughest year of his life.

“I had been thinking of giving up tennis,” he said. “I was struggling with my identity. I didn’t know who I was. My game was there, it was just about getting my head right.”

Draper lost Tuesday to South African qualifier Neville Godwin in a first-round match at the Mercedes-Benz Cup at UCLA, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5). But the tough loss might have been a turning point.

“This was the first time in a year that I really wanted to win,” he said. “But I was so nervous out there, I couldn’t even swing out.”

Considering his future after his wife’s death, he returned to tennis not as a form of therapy but because it’s what he loves to do.

In May 1999, he had reached a career-high ranking of 42. He’d had his best year in 1998, having won his first title, in the Queen’s Club at London, and reached the final at Washington, D.C., where he lost to Andre Agassi. A year later, he was eliminated in the first round of the U.S Open and is currently 158th in the points race.

“I had no motivation to play tennis,” he said. “I was just out there, not playing to the fullest. Then one day it just hit me that life is not a dress rehearsal and I wanted to go back and give it all I had, not play halfheartedly. Today was not an easy day but things will come my way.”

He will play at a Challenger event in Lexington, Ky., July 31, then will try to qualify at the U.S Open.

“Sometimes it’s hard to look at the bright side,” he said. “But then I remember that when we were together, we lived life to the fullest. She’ll always be with me.”

For the third consecutive year, Taylor Dent of Newport Beach was eliminated in the first round, ousted this year by Lionel Roux of France, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Dent had been scheduled to play top-seeded Agassi until he withdrew because of a back strain.

In other Tuesday matches, Jason Stoltenberg of Australia defeated Bob Bryan of Camarillo, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, and Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand defeated Sebastien Lareau of Canada, 6-4, 6-4.

In late matches, fourth-seeded Michael Chang beat Paul Kilderry of Australia, 6-4, 6-2, and Alex O’Brien upset seventh-seeded Andrew Ilie of Australia, 6-3, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Chang’s agent, Tom Ross, signed the papers Tuesday night officially making Chang a part of the U.S. Olympic team for the Sydney Games. Chang is expected to play singles for the U.S. along with Agassi, Todd Martin and Jan-Michael Gambill. Pete Sampras is expected to reject an invitation to go to Sydney.