British number one Jack Draper said he was “very proud” of his return to the ATP Tour after injury, beating France’s Quentin Halys in straight sets in Dubai.
Draper, playing on the men’s tour for the first time since the U.S. Open last August, won 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 on his debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 24-year-old, who has slipped to 15th in the world rankings after reaching a career-high ranking of fourth in June, will next face Hungary’s Fabian Marossan or France’s Arthur Lindeknech.
“I’ve longed for the feeling of competing,” Draper said in a postgame interview.
“It feels normal, it feels like I’m back to doing what I love, which is being here, competing and enjoying the adrenaline of winning and losing.
“After going through a lot of lows, a lot of people helped me get back to this position. [during] the past eight months.
“It’s not easy coming back here and it’s something I’m really proud of. Hopefully that continues.”
Draper’s first competitive match in 164 days was a straight-sets win over Norway’s Viktor Durasovic in a Davis Cup qualifier in early February.
But he has been absent from tour singles events since withdrawing from the second round of the U.S. Open six months ago with a left arm injury.
