“I have full belief that I can reach the very top of the game”: Jack Draper sends confident comeback message

Jack Draper prepares to make his return to the courts this Monday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, after a postponed return to competition. It will be his first match since last year’s US Open – back in August 2025.

The Brit has been carrying injury problems for around eight months, which took their toll on him during the grass swing last June. He arrived at Wimbledon as one of the favourites, but was surprisingly eliminated in the second round by Marin Cilic. Shortly afterwards he announced that he would step away from competition for a period due to an injury, although few would have expected such a long time out of competition for Draper.

And the 24-year-old had positioned himself as a contender in the major tournaments and one of the few names with the capacity to threaten the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz. However, he has played only one complete match on the Tour in the last eight months and has fallen from his career-best ranking as world No. 4 – down to No. 15 as of this Monday, when he makes his long-awaited return in Dubai.

It will be Draper’s first tournament since last year’s US Open (from which he withdrew before stepping onto the court in the second round). For the three-time ATP tournament champion it will be a special destination, where he hopes to count on wide support from the crowd. “I have many, many memories. I have been following this event since I was 10 years old,” commented the Brit to Khaleej Times. “I mean, obviously, I watched Andy Murray play here a lot.”

“I watched those videos of Roger Federer and Andre Agassi play on the helipad of Burj Al Arab. I used to watch all those finals, Djokovic, Federer, 2015 and 2011,” he added. “So, as a boy, this is a tournament I have watched a lot. So I understand how big a tournament it is. And now I am really excited to be here.”

The Brit hopes to leave behind the physical problems after the shoulder injury that kept him out in recent months. His return had been expected since the end of 2026, but several times he had to postpone it. After skipping the Australian Open, Draper played the Davis Cup a couple of weeks ago, although he has not yet returned to a tournament where he competes for ranking points.

In previous years the support of British residents in Dubai was strong in turning out in large numbers to support Andy Murray – who participated several times in the tournament, winning the title in 2017. “I never expect anything, but I know there is a large number of British people here in Dubai, so if I am competing on Monday, hopefully I’ll get some support and people come out and watch me play. But I never expect something,” commented the left-hander.

Without a doubt Murray’s retirement left a void in British tennis, and Draper has been pointed out as his successor. “It’s a privilege to be in the position. Obviously, now, I have a bit of an injury setback. But truthfully, since I was a young boy, all I wanted to do was to be the best tennis player in the world,” the world No. 15 said. “To do that, you have to deal with not just the tennis and your opponent, but also you have to deal with, you know, the outside noise, the pressure, all these things, and if you can't, then you shouldn't be doing it. So I'm very fortunate to be in that position.”

Looking ahead to the next tournament, Draper was asked what the major goals he has for his career in the coming years are. “I think everyone wants to win a gold medal at the Olympics. You saw what it meant to (Novak) Djokovic (when he won it in 2024). To win the Olympic gold the way he did was incredible,” he said. “And what Andy did, winning two golds, is something very special. I think if you ask him, it was one of his biggest achievements. I think Wimbledon is obviously the tournament I want to win more than anything.”

For the moment at least, the Brit’s main objective is to improve his physical condition, feel good physically and gradually be able to display the potential he has. “I never like to talk about winning tournaments. I just focus on what I can do as a tennis player and what’s in my control, to keep improving, keep learning, keep growing as a player,” the former world No. 4 stated. “And I believe if I do that, I have a very strong chance of putting myself in some good positions.”

Draper will have to start adding wins and rebuilding his confidence if he wants to position himself once again among the best. In a few weeks he will defend his title in Indian Wells, which represents an important portion of his current ranking points.

If he does not manage a deep run, he could even drop out of the top 30, as he has given himself a period of two years to reach his best level. “Right now, I am obviously behind. At the start of last year, I was building my way up. I think this injury has set me back a little bit, in terms of the fact that I haven’t competed for a while and, at the same time, it has made me more resilient and made me learn a lot about my game.”

“So I think the next year and a half, two years is going to be very interesting for me because I feel like I have a lot to improve, a lot to develop and a lot of experience still to come, which maybe they have over me. But I have full belief in myself that I can reach the very top of the game.”