Jack Draper has admitted that the pressure of pushing himself to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner may have contributed to his body breaking down last year.
The 24-year-old made his long-awaited return from a bone stress injury in his left arm in Great Britain’s 4-0 Davis Cup Qualifiers win against Norway in Oslo.
Draper cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win against world No 313 Viktor Durasovic on Thursday in his first match since an opening round win at the US Open on 25 August.
The Brit is ranked 13th in the world, having reached his career-high position of world No 4 in June last year after a superb first half of the 2025 season. Draper defeated Carlos Alcaraz en route to winning his biggest title to date in Indian Wells in March.
Speaking to the Press Association, Draper spoke candidly about the demands of trying to close the gap to Alcaraz and Sinner — who have won the last nine majors between them.
“That was my goal anyway, and potentially that’s part of the reason why my body did break down,” said Draper.
“Maybe I was trying so hard to play in the right way — to hit the ball harder, to get free points — and that just became a stress for me.
“I’ve learnt a lot about myself mentally and physically. I’ve done a lot of things that have really put me in a good place.
“For sure, those guys are leading the sport at the moment, and I’m really hungry to get to where they are, so I’m going to do everything I can to do that.”
Draper continued: “I wouldn’t want any tennis player to go through this with their playing arm.
“But at the same time, I’ve learnt 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.
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“I do believe I’m a better player than I was in the summer, when I was winning a lot and playing great.
“I think that you can only get to that point with the right mindset and by seeing this injury and this lay-off as an opportunity to improve, and I feel I’ve done that.”
Following his win against Durasovic, Draper shed light on the nature of his arm injury as he addressed how he was feeling after his comeback.
“Bone stress is a difficult injury to explain to people who don’t understand it,” he told Sky Sports.
“Basically, the bone has to keep on regenerating and getting stronger.
“The more I compete, the more I play at 100%, it’s going to get used to that load over time. It’s natural to feel some sensations, some discomfort over a period of time.
“That’s what it’s been like for many other players who have had the same injury, but you just have to keep on adjusting, being sensible with the injury.
“But I wouldn’t be out here competing if it wasn’t something that I feel confident that I can stay on court with.”
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