Jack Draper’s return to tennis after six months will come at the Davis Cup as Great Britain take on Norway.
The British number one has not played competitive tennis since withdrawing from his US Open match with Zizou Bergs in August.
Draper admitted to ‘dark moments’ during his hiatus from tennis, but he is confident he can return to the form which saw him win Indian Wells and reach world number four in 2025.
Ahead of his return to tennis, Draper shared how on the pulse he’s remained with the sport while he was injured.
Jack Draper says he found Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open win ‘difficult to watch’
Upon his return to Davis Cup action for Great Britain, Draper confirmed that he has not watched a lot of tennis during his lay-off in an interview with Tennis Weekly Podcast.
The British star did, however, say he saw bits and pieces from Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, but it didn’t conjure up entirely positive emotions for Draper.
“It was quite difficult to watch what was going on out there, knowing I was missing out,” he said about the Australian Open, before heaping praise on Alcaraz.
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“But, Alcaraz winning, I think he’s a great champion and already a legend of the game. To see him win the career slam was really good to see.”
Asked if watching Alcaraz achieve the Career Grand Slam made him hungrier, Draper responded: “Yeah, of course.
“I wouldn’t be a competitor if I didn’t want that so I think part of me doesn’t want to watch it because I know that it hurts.
“But at the same time it’s good to be able to see what these guys are achieving so that then I can put that fire, that fuel into a positive place and work hard on the practice court, work hard on my career to get to a good position as well.”
Draper will play Norway’s Viktor Durasovic in his first competitive match since the US Open on Thursday, 5 February.
Jack Draper’s head-to-head record with Carlos Alcaraz
It’s no surprise that someone as confident as Draper on a tennis court is watching Alcaraz’s exploits with a tinge of jealousy.
The star has been tipped to challenge the likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, particularly after his extraordinary six-month run in 2025.
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Draper has fared decently against the best player in the world, picking up two victories against the Spaniard in their six matches.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Score |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Rome | 64 64 |
| 2025 | Jack Draper | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | 61 06 64 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Australian Open | 75 61 RET |
| 2024 | Jack Draper | Queen’s Club | 76(3) 63 |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | 62 20 RET |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | Basel | 36 62 75 |
Draper knocked Alcaraz out of Queen’s in 2024 and also beat the Spaniard en route to lifting the Indian Wells trophy in 2025.
The British star is yet to beat Alcaraz at a Grand Slam in a best of five set format, having lost to the world number one at the Australian Open in their only major meeting.
Draper retired from the match at two sets down in Melbourne, and he also retired against Alcaraz at Indian Wells in 2023.
