Jack Draper enjoyed the first win of his Indian Wells title defence yesterday, coming from a set down to defeat Roberto Bautista Agut.
It was far from a convincing display, but it will be important in bringing the British number one back to the level he reached around this time last year.
He spoke on-court immediately afterwards and was analytical in his assessment of the win.
However, he also remained sympathetic, well aware of the struggles his body was going through after so long recovering from his recent injury.
Jack Draper speaks after comeback win at Indian Wells
Jack Draper began his conversation with Sky Sports by outlining his delight with the nature of this win: “Yeah, it felt amazing. Honestly, well, for instance, from last week, I’ve really felt really good here. I felt like it’s nice to be back somewhere I’ve had great memories, but also at the same time, a little bit underprepared, obviously, because of the amount of tennis I’ve missed.
“So, I was coming out today against a really formidable opponent in Bautista, and first set was a bit edgy, but then I managed to find a little bit of spark and a bit of my level, and hopefully I can keep on progressing from here with how I want to play.”
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Asked about how he adjusted after a tricky first set, he admitted: “Yeah, I mean, I think he played a really good first set. It is not easy out here in these conditions. I know from last year that these conditions, they reward someone who looks for the forehand and who’s aggressive, especially with the way the ball reacts off the surface, and I felt like from the second set I really did that.
“And, um, yeah, I was able just to win a few points when I needed to. Long rallies, and just proud of my attitude and my effort to work through those issues.”
Draper concluded by outlining just how important wins like this, and at any level, are for his comeback.
The 24-year-old added: “Yeah, these wins are massive for me, especially on my return to the tour.
“The injury I had is, it wasn’t, like, a couple of weeks. It was eight months. So, I missed so much competitive tennis, and I do feel that, you know, I feel like I’m, I feel a little bit off, like, in practice, my level’s good, but when it comes to the match court, I’m definitely a bit in and out with my consistency.
“But I think that’s gonna come the more I play, the more I get myself out in front of these top players and I’m improving most days. So hopefully I can just carry on doing what I do with the right attitude and giving myself the best chance of going a long way in these events.”
Jack Draper’s crucial mid-match change vs Roberto Bautista Agut
At one point, Draper seemed on track to see his Indian Wells title defence halted at the very first hurdle.
After all, his 37-year-old opponent had leapt into a one-set lead, and was good value for that position too.
Naturally, the Englishman had afforded him the opportunities to snatch the initiative, with his passive play exemplified by the fact that the majority of his shots in the first set were played into the middle of the court.
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Only once he decided to be more aggressive and go for the lines in the next two sets did he start to take advantage of his superiority, in the end winning convincingly.
Perhaps, now that he has claimed his first win since that 2025 title, he will be free of the nerves that perhaps inhibited his performance early in this match.
