Jack Draper’s 2025 season was derailed by an arm injury, but the British No. 1 is back-and he’s not just aiming to return to form. He’s aiming to return better.
After five long months away from competition, Draper made his comeback count on Wednesday, cruising past Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2 to help Great Britain secure a Davis Cup win over Norway in Oslo. It was a dominant return for the 24-year-old, who had climbed to world No. 4 last June before injury brought his momentum to a grinding halt.
Now, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continuing to set the pace at the top of the men’s game, Draper is eyeing that elite tier once again-but this time with a new mindset.
“That was my goal anyway,” Draper said of chasing down Alcaraz and Sinner. “And potentially that's part of the reason why my body did break down.”
It’s a revealing admission. Draper was pushing himself hard-physically and mentally-to keep pace with two of the game’s most explosive young stars.
That meant hitting bigger, going for more free points, and playing with a level of intensity that eventually took its toll. The result was a “complex” bone bruising injury in his left arm, diagnosed after a second-round loss to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon.
“I wouldn't want any tennis player to go through this with their playing arm,” Draper said. “But at the same time, I’ve learned many things through this period-not only personally, but from a career perspective-that are definitely going to help me move forward and be a better player.”
That’s the silver lining Draper is holding onto. Despite the layoff, he believes he’s returning as a more complete player-mentally sharper, physically smarter, and with a deeper understanding of what it takes to sustain success at the top level.
“I do believe I'm a better player than I was in the summer, when I was winning lots and playing great,” he said. “I think that you can only get to that point with the right mindset and seeing this injury and this lay-off as an opportunity to get better, and I feel I’ve done that.”
Still, Draper’s return to full-time ATP Tour action will have to wait. He was slated to make his singles comeback at next week’s Rotterdam Open, but he’s since withdrawn. While that might sound like a setback, Draper insists it’s all part of a bigger-picture approach.
“As disappointed as I am not to be back out there, overall I am trending in the right direction,” he said.
His Davis Cup appearance-just one match-was always going to be a cautious step back into competition. And according to Great Britain captain Leon Smith, that plan didn’t change, even after Draper breezed past Durasovic.
“It was mostly going to be the plan [to only play once],” Smith explained. “Unless maybe he came off and said, ‘Look, that was a really quick match,’ which it was. But it’s still the first match he’s had back in five months.”
Smith emphasized that Draper’s medical team was aligned on the decision: get one match under his belt, recover, and build from there. “It was the right thing to do,” Smith said.
With Draper’s win in the books, Britain took a 2-0 lead into Friday, where Wimbledon doubles champions Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash sealed the tie. They overcame a second-set stumble to beat Durasovic and Budkov Kjaer 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5), clinching an unassailable 3-0 lead.
British No. 3 Jacob Fearnley also got his moment in the spotlight, coming from a set down to defeat Budkov Kjaer 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 in the dead rubber, rounding out a 4-0 sweep for the Brits.
The win sends Great Britain through to the second qualifying round later this year, where they’ll face either Australia or Ecuador for a spot in November’s Davis Cup Finals.
As for Draper, the road back may be gradual, but his sights are set high. He’s not just chasing Alcaraz and Sinner anymore-he’s chasing a version of himself that’s more resilient, more refined, and ready for the long haul.