Jack Draper admits being trapped in injury – Jack Draper has been discharged from the “asylum”, and is back to winning ways on the tennis court once more.
The Briton advanced into the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne Open on Wednesday with a straight-sets victory over compatriot and close friend Jack Pinnington Jones, emerging a 7-5 6-4 winner in the scorching Sussex sun.
Draper, who fell to world No160 before returning at Devonshire Park, has been hampered throughout the past 15 months with injury and illness, primarily to do with a bone condition in his left arm and knee tendonitis, while he also battled tonsillitis in his run to the semi-finals at Queen’s Club last summer.
He most recently played at the Barcelona Open, but was forced to hand Tomas Martin Etcheverry a first-round walkover as he forfeited the match amid another injury setback.
Now, under the watchful eye of Sir Andy Murray , who observed courtside for both Draper’s first-round win over Marcos Giron and then against Pinnington Jones, the British No3 is eyeing a statement return at his home Grand Slam, Wimbledon , where he was stunned in the second round by the wily veteran Marin Cilic last year .
Draper was the fourth seed at the All England Club in 2025, but will face the uncertainty of going into Friday’s draw unseeded, knowing that he could be up against one of the top names straight away.
He told reporters afterwards that he had battled a stomach bug in the lead-up to his win over Pinnington Jones, but revealed that he was a “good actor”, as he upped his levels to record a second straight win of the Murray era.
Draper had decided against wearing an arm sleeve – often utilised by players to protect an injury – for his return against Giron, but opted to don a white band down his left arm on Wednesday. However, he insisted that it was purely for sweat purposes, rather than any sort of injury concern.
After a year of injury hell, the 24-year-old seemed relieved that he was back on the comeback trail, hoping to unsettle the very top echelons of the men’s game once more, with a three-time Grand Slam champion now in his corner.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard to get fit again and nothing can be as hard as what’s gone on with me the last year,” he said.
“It is way easier to be back competing at tournaments, than when you’re injured. You’re in the asylum, training every day, trying to work things out, [through] pain and struggle.
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“I feel better and better about my body and my tennis, and the more days I can come through, that only puts me in a better spot for Wimbledon.”
Draper will face the unseeded Canadian Gabriel Diallo on Thursday, after he came from behind to eliminate fourth seed Etcheverry.
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