Indian Wells: Jack Draper ‘wanting a fresh start’ as he returns to defending champions six months after injury

In early February, after winning the Davis Cup with Team GB in Norway, his first match since August, Draper was advised not to play in Rotterdam the following week.

But when he returned to the Dubai Tour, wearing a black compression sleeve on his arm, he defeated Quentin Harris before losing in three sets to Arthur Lindknecht.

“I’ve really enjoyed my week in Dubai,” Draper told BBC Sport.

“It’s not about my level, it’s about how I handle games and training. That’s really the final hurdle.

“I’m proud to go out there, compete hard and do what I love again.

“I’m not playing game after game, which is probably a good thing.”

Draper defeated top five players Taylor Fritz and Alkaraz in last year’s Indian Wells final, before defeating Holger Ruhn to lift the first Masters 1000 trophy.

One of the perks of winning at Indian Wells is that you get to choose the menu for next year’s Champions Lunch.

Draper opted for steak and fries, with the menu showing a grass-fed filet mignon with Parmesan truffle fries and green peppercorn sauce.

Women’s champion Mirra Andreeva chose cheese pancakes with vanilla honey mascarpone for dessert – and she has no regrets.

“I don’t feel good about this choice right now,” Draper said before serving.

“I still have about an hour to train. When I say I’ve probably trained pretty deep and been on a pretty strict diet.”