Jack Draper admits that his recent string of injuries felt like witnessing his own decline, yet the British tennis player remains optimistic about his future. After missing competition since mid-April due to various physical setbacks including arm, shoulder, and knee issues, the 24-year-old is set to resume his career at the Eastbourne tournament this Monday.
Draper, who previously ascended to a career-high world ranking of fourth and secured an ATP 1000 title at Indian Wells, has only appeared in 11 matches over the last year. Despite dropping out of the top 100, he emphasizes that he does not see himself as injury-prone. Instead, he views himself as a strong athlete aiming to move past this difficult phase of interrupted play.
In his first match back, Draper will face Brandon Nakashima. He noted that the nature of tennis makes time away particularly difficult, as players watch their rankings slip without a substitute to cover their spot. To aid his transition back to the tour, Draper has been working with three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray. Draper expressed that having Murray’s support has been a major boost to his confidence during this challenging recovery period.
