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 returned to the ATP Tour last week in Dubai, where he defeated Quentin Harris before ultimately losing to Arthur Lindeknecht.

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 didn’t feel like I could go all the way again, I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be playing in the tournament,” Draper said during Tuesday’s pregame press conference. “That’s probably the main reason why I didn’t go to Australia, purely because if I was going to compete, I was going to compete and I wanted to feel like my body was ready to not only compete but that I could go all the way because I believed in my tennis so much that I knew what I could go out with and I knew what I could go out with because I believed in my tennis so much that I knew what I could go out with.

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 first priority is taking care of my body and making sure that when I’m able to play I’m fully prepared for what’s coming, 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 the kind of 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 haven’t gotten to the point where I’m able to play at the highest intensity that I want to and be a top player again like I want to and what I want 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’m making sure I’m doing all the things week in and week out to be able to keep going week after week.”

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 a 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.