Jack Draper on Indian Wells return: ‘If I didn’t feel like I could go all the way, I wouldn’t be here’ | ATP Tour

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

The English southpaw returned to Dubai last week after injuring his left arm

March 4, 2026

A lot has changed for Jack Draper in the past 12 months. The British southpaw won the biggest title of his career last year at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Ruhn in the final.

The arrival of the California desert this year brings a different backdrop. Draper is playing in his second ATP Tour event since last August’s U.S. Open after battling a left arm injury for the past eight months. The 24-year-old made his return to the ATP Tour last week in Dubai, where he defeated Quentin Harris before losing to Arthur Lindeknych.

Despite the limited schedule, Draper hasn’t lowered his expectations for the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

“I feel like if I felt like I couldn’t go all the way again, I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be playing in the tournament,” Draper said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. “That’s probably the main reason why I didn’t go to Australia, purely because if I was going to play, I was going to play and I wanted to feel like my body was ready to not only play but go all the way because I believe in my tennis so much that when I go out there. I know I can hit some great stuff.”

During his absence, Draper used his down time to build. The PIF ATP Ranking No. 14 hopes the work he does will benefit him in the coming months, with the first priority being staying healthy.

“I’m just so grateful to be back on the court and back on tour,” Draper said. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot as a player in the last eight months but I do recognize that I’ve been away from the game and to come straight back into the game after being away from the game for a while is a step up in terms of level. So let’s see what happens.

“I’m not going to overthink it. My priority is taking care of my body and making sure I’m fully prepared for what’s coming when I’m able to take the court, and I always believe in my tennis, so let’s see how far I can go.”

Draper has dealt with injuries before and said the experience has helped him better handle his return.

“I know from some of the injuries I’ve had in the past that I’ve made mistakes in coming back too early, and I think when you come back too early you lose a lot of trust in your body. I haven’t had an injury where I couldn’t play at all. I was able to train and still get reps for a long period of time.

“I just didn’t get to the point where I was able to play at the highest intensity that I wanted to and be a top player again like I wanted to and what I wanted to do on tour. I don’t have any fear in my arm. I know I have great people around me. I have a good experience with it now, so I just want to make sure I’m doing all the right things to be able to keep going week in and week out on tour.”

There have also been noticeable changes since fans last saw him lift the trophy in Indian Wells, with the new buzz marking what he calls a reset.

“There’s nothing better than the buzz,” Draper said. “Honestly, you don’t have to do anything… I just missed a long period of time. Eight months is difficult. Especially in individual sports, you can become very isolated. There are a lot of difficult moments and when you come out of it, you start to feel better about yourself. [I] Just want a new start. “

Draper will face Fabian Marozsan or Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round and could face Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.