"You definitely start to question yourself and it makes you quite sad" - Hardship of injury put to one side by Draper who enters Indian Wells in 'good shape'

The reigning Indian Wells champion, Jack Draper, shared a positive update on his condition and showed off proud feelings for himself after getting through a rough period on the sidelines with an arm injury keeping him out for a considerable amount of time.

The British number one was on a roll last year, most famously picking up the title at Indian Wells for a maiden ATP 1000 title, his third ATP triumph. Final runs in the Qatar Open and Madrid Open also helped him storm up the rankings, leaving him as high as world number four ahead of Wimbledon.

However, it would be this tournament that undid all his fine progress and hard work. When taking on Marin Cilic in the second round, he started to feel the consequences of a left arm injury, which turned out to be a bruised humerus. Getting knocked out at this stage, Draper sat out the entirety of the North American hardcourt swing with the plan to let his injury heal, with the US Open rapidly approaching.

Defending an unbelievable semi-final from the year before, he won his opening round match before leaving Flushing Meadows with his injury getting worse. He has only very recently returned after a number of false horizons, skipping traversing to Australia and missing the start of the campaign.

He stepped back on court as he represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup qualifier match against Norway, coming out a comfortable winner in his singles match before waiting until the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to continue his progress. A second-round defeat to an inspired Arthur Rinderknech was a disappointing result, but the 24-year-old is now in good condition with the Sunshine swing set to be in full flow.

"This injury has definitely hardened me a fair bit," Draper stated in an interview with Sky Sports. He reminisced on prior injuries but distanced them from his most recent one which came at a really bad time in his tennis career.

"I've had certain injuries in the past, but when you do so well and when you get to the goal that you finally want to get to, being in a good position, competing for great tournaments and then something like this happens - you definitely start to question yourself, and it makes you quite sad in a way."

Still though, Draper was looking ahead instead of dwelling on the past. "But it's always about how you pick yourself up," he stated. "I always think there's only one response to any sort of hardship or adversity and that's to improve and be better for it."

While the journey was a tough one, Draper was satisfied with what he had been through. "So, I'm proud that I'm coming here in a good place," he admitted. "Mentally, I feel good. Physically, I'm in good shape. I wouldn't be back if I wasn't, I'm just so happy to be here, and hopefully I can have a great week."

Last year was a very special occasion for Draper, who followed in the footsteps of fellow Brit Cameron Norrie in winning the Indian Wells title, going one better than Andy Murray and Tim Henman. Wins against Joao Fonseca and Jenson Brooksby culminated in an impressive showing against the 2022 champion, Taylor Fritz. Yet to drop a set, he continued this fine form against another top American in the form of Ben Shelton before facing Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final.

Draper had got the better of the Spaniard before on grass, but this was a different prospect. He relished the occasion, taking the first set 6-1 before losing his way in the second, being on the receiving end of a bagel. He responded brilliantly to this setback, seeing out the match before dropping just four games in the final against Holger Rune to finish off what had been a scintillating tournament. He will look to repeat these triumphant results, but it will not be easy with Novak Djokovic as a possible fourth-round opponent. He must get there first, however, with either Fabian Marozsan or Roberto Bautista Agut as his second round opponent.