Jack Draper on Indian Wells comeback: ‘I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel I could go all this way’ | ATP Tour

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Draper on Indian Wells comeback: ‘I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel like I could go all the way’

The British lefty returned last week from Dubai following an injury to his left arm

March 04, 2026

A lot has changed for Jack Draper in the last 12 months. Last year, the British lefty won the biggest title of his career at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune in the final to take the win.

This year’s arrival in the California desert has a different context. Draper was competing in his second ATP Tour event since the US Open last August, after struggling with a left arm injury for the past eight months. The 24-year-old returned to the ATP Tour last week in Dubai, where he defeated Quentin Halys and lost to Arthur Rinderknech.

Despite limited match play, Draper is not falling short of expectations at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be in the tournament if I didn’t feel like I could go all the way again,” said Draper in a press conference before the tournament on Tuesday. “That was the main reason I didn’t go out to Australia, just because if I’m going to compete, I’m going to be in the event, I want to feel physically ready to not only participate but go all the way, because I believe in my tennis so much that when I go out there. I know I can play good things.

While sidelined, Draper used his time away to build. The number 14 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is hoping that the work he has done will pay off in the coming months, which is the most important thing to stay healthy.

“I’m very grateful to be back on the court, to be back on Tour,” said Draper. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot as a player in the last eight months, but I can see that I’ve been out of the game, and it’s a little bit of a step up to just get back into it after that time out of the game. So let’s see what happens.

“I’m a person who doesn’t think too much about things. My priority is taking care of my body, making sure that when I can hit the field I’m fully prepared for what’s next, and I always believe in my gut, so let’s see how far I can go.”

Having dealt with injury issues before, Draper says the experience helped him better manage his comeback.

“I know from the injuries I had in the past I made mistakes and came back early, and I think that if you come back early, you can lose confidence in your body.

“I haven’t been able to get to the point where I can play at the highest level of intensity that I want and go back like I wanted to and like I want to do on the Tour to be a good player again. I don’t have any fear in my arm. I know that I have good people around me. I have a good knowledge about it now, so I want to do all the things that I have to do after a week so that I can continue to do well. a week and stay on the Tour.”

There has also been a noticeable change since fans last saw him lift the trophy at Indian Wells, a new sound that marks what he describes as a renaissance.

“There’s no such thing as a buzz cut,” Draper said. “Actually, you don’t have to do anything… I’ve just been out for a long time. Eight months is tough. Especially in an individual game, you’re on your own. There’s a lot of tough times, and when you get out of that and you start to feel better inside yourself. [I] I wanted a fresh start.”

Draper will open with Fabian Marozsan or Roberto Bautista Agut and could meet Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.