Jack Draper’s campaign at the Miami Open fell at the first hurdle as he lost to Reilly Opelka in straight sets.
Draper was upbeat about his performance against Opelka, who produced a serving masterclass to win two tie-breaks against the British star.
While Draper did not play badly in his Miami Open second round match, it’s clear the star has a big weakness after making his ATP Tour comeback.
The British number one’s return of serve is a big question mark as he looks to try and climb back into the top 10 of the rankings.
Jack Draper’s return of a serve needs improvement
Draper’s level has been surprisingly impressive considering how long he was out of action for between 2025 and 2206.
He does not seem to have lost much of his power, which was especially evident at Indian Wells where he picked up victories against Francisco Cerundolo and Novak Djokovic.
Despite his decent return to ATP Tour action, Draper’s return of serve and ability to break his opponents has been a constant theme.
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Draper has struggled to deal with Quentin Halys, Arthur Rinderknech, and now Opelka, all of whom are known for their big serves.
The British star has needed several tie-breaks to beat opponents due to his inability to break, playing out five tie-breaks already in his first eight matches.
While it could be down to match practice, if Draper does not improve his return of serve it could hamper him immensely against the elite players and bigger servers.
Jack Draper’s worrying return of serve statistics
Draper’s return of serve stats do not make for a pretty sight in his first three tournaments since his comeback.
Jack Draper’s concerning stats
- 1st Serve Return Points Won: 28%
- 2nd Serve Return Points Won: 48%
- Break Points Opportunities: 36
- Break Points Converted: 36%
- Return Games Played: 76
- Return Games Won: 17%
- Return Points Won: 34%
Draper’s inability to break the Opelka serve has been a running theme for the British star in 2026, despite the American’s sensational performance.
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He has broken serve just 13 times in his first eight matches back, which equates to a worrying 17% for Draper.
He has also only conjured up 36 break point opportunities in his first eight matches, which works out 4.5 a match.
Against the best players on the ATP Tour, that will surely not be enough for him to win matches at the top level.
