Jack Draper’s perfect comeback story continued in Eastbourne yesterday, as he overcame Jack Pinnington-Jones in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
It represents the perfect return to action after over two months out, with the 23-year-old having had to be supremely patient on the road to recovery.
His return to fitness comes at the perfect time for British hopes, with Wimbledon just around the corner.
However, chatting afterwards, and Draper actually seemed more complimentary about his opponent than himself, which bodes well for the upcoming Grand Slam, where Pinnington-Jones has already been given a main draw wildcard.
Jack Draper has huge praise for Jack Pinnington-Jones after their match
Speaking whilst still on court, Draper had nothing but positive things to say about his good friend Pinnington-Jones.
He admitted: “Jack’s a great friend, so it’s tough playing against a good friend.
How would you rate Jack Draper’s first performance since returning from injury?
“He’s still young, he came out of college recently, and he’s been building his way up the rankings; he’s nearly in the top 100.
“He’s someone I think is going to be a top player, and I think he showed that today. It was really tough to play against him; he’s a great competitor, and I wish him all the best.”
Then, turning his attention to his own confidence and fitness levels, Draper added: “My confidence levels were below the floor a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t played in a long time, I wasn’t match fit.
“I didn’t play Queen’s because I just wasn’t ready, so to come here, to be on court and competing and playing at a high level very quickly, I’m very grateful. I look forward to coming out here tomorrow. I love Eastbourne, so I appreciate it.
“Physically, I’ve spent a long time off the court with injury. I was on a great trajectory last year, being at a career high ranking of four and my body stopped me in my tracks.
“Right now it’s about coming out each day, being consistent with my practice, trying to get as many matches under my belt to where my confidence needs to be and hopefully rising up the rankings once again.”
This comes after Draper made a comment about Andy Murray after securing his first win on his comeback earlier this week.
Jack Draper’s huge opportunity to win Eastbourne right before Wimbledon
As for Draper, a huge opportunity actually seems to have appeared for him at Eastbourne.
After all, when he first entered the event, the draw was stacked with big names.
That has swiftly changed, with almost all of the top seeds having pulled out in the last few days.
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Even Brandon Nakashima, who was due to be Draper’s first-round opponent, withdrew at the last minute, making his return to tennis far easier than it should have been.
Other stars like Taylor Fritz, Joao Fonseca, Francisco Cerundolo and Rafael Jodar all followed suit, leaving just two seeded players in the draw at the quarter-finals stage.
If Draper can beat Gabriel Diallo in his next match, there is a huge opportunity for him to actually win the title in Eastbourne, as by far the most accomplished player left in the tournament.
