Jack Draper now knows his fate at the Dubai Tennis Championships as he prepares for his first ATP event for six months.
Draper returned in impressive fashion at the Davis Cup by defeating Viktor Durasovic in straight sets in less than an hour.
The British number one then immediately withdrew from the Rotterdam Open, which he said was a precautionary measure.
Draper’s return is set for the Dubai Tennis Championships and he now knows who he will potentially face at the event.
Jack Draper gifted a kind early draw in Dubai
Draper has played just one match since the US Open, so he will be delighted that he has been drawn against a qualifier or a lucky loser in the first round in Dubai.
The British star will fancy his chances in the second round, too, as he will play either Fabian Marozsan or Arthur Rinderknech if he wins his first match.
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The quarter-final stage will be where his tournament starts to truly become more uncomfortable, with potential matches with the likes of Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Draper has also been drawn in the same section of the draw as Alexander Bublik and Jakub Mensik, who have both impressed early in the season.
The British star has managed to miss the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Karen Khachanov, so he will only play them if he reaches the final.
The Dubai Tennis Championships begin on 23 February and runs for a week as the Middle Eastern swing comes to a close.
Where Jack Draper is now ranked after missing six months of ATP action
It’s a testament to just how impressive Draper was in the first six months of the 2025 season that he still remains firmly inside the top 20 despite his six months of inactivity.
Draper’s Indian Wells victory, as well as his Madrid Open final, earned him a career high ranking of world number four ahead of Wimbledon.
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The star has dropped to world number 15 upon his return to tennis and he will have to really impress to crack the top 10 again this season.
He is over 900 points away from world number 10, Bublik, and he has to defend his Indian Wells win following his return in Dubai.
Draper did, however, withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships last year, so he will essentially have a free hit on his return.
