Jack Draper is back, having returned to competitive tennis with an emphatic win at the Davis Cup.
Not only did it afford Britain a great start against Norway in their first-round qualifying tie, but it provided the perfect opportunity for the 24-year-old to make his first appearance since he struggled through the first round at the US Open back in September of last year.
It has been a long and arduous process for the Englishman, battling through setback after setback as his elbow continued to ail him.
Alas, he completed his match with minimal fuss, yet was surprisingly benched for Britain’s next round of singles fixtures.
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Leon Smith, their Davis Cup captain, has since explained his reasoning.
Jack Draper fitness update after return to tennis
Asked by Sky Sports whether there was a niggle to be concerned about that had kept Jack Draper out of the match, Smith was keen to play down any fears over his star man’s fitness.
He replied: “No, that was mostly going to be the plan. You know, unless maybe he came off and said, Look, that was a really quick match, which it was, it was still the first match he’s had back in five months, so unless he had knocked on my door and said, Come on, I want to go again.
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“But I think the sensible thing with him, with his medical team, was to say okay, let’s get this match banked, do some recovery and go from there. It’s the right thing to do.”
Elsewhere, Draper admitted he had conflicting emotions watching Carlos Alcaraz lift the Australian Open. Hopefully, in the months and even years to come, fitness-permitting, it could be him challenging the Spaniard for these elite honours.
Jack Draper could be ready to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
The ease with which Draper has returned to top-level tennis at the Davis Cup has been startling, but for him, this seemed to be expected.
After all, he spoke before his recent win over Viktor Durasovic, explaining how the work his time away from the sport has actually allowed him to improve as a player despite the struggles associated with such a lengthy lay-off.
He argued: “I believe I’m a better player than I was six months ago from all the things I’ve been doing.”
Draper was insistent that, with match play, things would click sooner rather than later for him.
This kind of fighting talk, and the fact that nobody has managed to bridge the gap to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, suggests that he might be the best bet to actually challenge them in the coming months.
