Jack Draper is expected to play his first Challenger Tour event since 2023 at next month’s Indiana Hard Court Championships.
Ranked inside the top five just over a year ago, Draper now finds himself well outside the top 100 and needs to play smaller events.
He is on the official entry list for the Indiana Hard Court Championships, a Challenger 75 event which begins on Monday, August 10.
Who is the best hard-court player in tennis today?
The US Open is right around the corner…
So, as he prepares to drop below the ATP Tour level for the first time in three years, what better time than now to review his Challenger Tour record?
Jack Draper won five Challenger titles earlier in his career on indoor hard courts
The world number 147 played his first Challenger Tour event in June 2018, where he lost in the first round of qualifying in Loughborough, Great Britain.
Official ATP Ranking
- 145. Jurij Rodionov – 427 points
- 146. Nishesh Basavareddy – 411 points
- 147. Jack Draper – 410 points
- 148. Stefanos Sakellaridis – 404 points
- 149. Francesco Maestrelli – 391 points
He won his first main draw match a year later, at the Nottingham Challenger event on grass.
Draper was fairly inconsistent during his first few years on the Challenger Tour, winning just a handful of matches in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Jack Draper’s Challenger Tour (main draw) record by year
- 2018: 0-1 (0%)
- 2019: 5-5 (50%)
- 2020: 2-2 (50%)
- 2021: 5-8 (38%)
However, after a slow start, Draper stepped into gear in 2022.
The British youngster won four Challenger titles in 2022, winning 24 matches.
- 2022: 24-4 (86%)
- 2023: 13-3 (81%)
And he added another title to his collection in 2023, lifting the trophy in Bergamo, Italy.
His win over David Goffin 990 days ago signalled the end of Draper’s Challenger Tour career, at least until now.
Jack Draper’s record in Challenger Tour finals (5-1)
| Final | Location | Surface | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2022 Citta di Forli II | Forli, Italy | Hard (Indoor) | Jay Clarke | WIN | 6-3, 6-0 |
| 2022 Citta di Forli IV | Forli, Italy | Hard (Indoor) | Tim van Rijthoven | WIN | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2022 Citta di Forli V | Forli, Italy | Hard (Indoor) | Alexander Ritschard | WIN | 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2022 Open Harmonie mutuelle | Saint-Brieuc, France | Hard (Indoor) | Zizou Bergs | WIN | 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 |
| 2023 CO’Met Orelans Open | Orleans, France | Hard (Indoor) | Tomas Machac | LOSS | 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 |
| 2023 Trofeo Faip-Perrel | Bergamo, Italy | Hard (Indoor) | David Goffin | WIN | 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 |
Draper had won 49 matches and lost 23 (68%), taking home five titles.
He then ‘graduated’ to the ATP Tour full-time, where he won three titles and reached the US Open semi-finals.
Dropping back down to the Challenger level, Draper will be keen to add to his win tally, which in turn will boost his chances of returning to the top 100.
What would winning the Indiana Hard Court Championships mean for Jack Draper’s ranking?
Draper could earn up to 75 points in Indiana next month.
Indiana Hard Court Championships – Point distribution
- Champion – 75 points
- Runner-up – 44 points
- Semi-finalist – 22 points
- Quarter-finalist – 12 points
- First round – 6 points
Currently sitting 147th in the rankings with 410 points to his name, Draper could rise 10 places with a title.
And, with all due respect to the other players competing in Indiana, he should win the title.
Draper is, after all, a former Masters 1000 champion and world number four.
Despite his injury struggles this year, the British star has several impressive results to boast, including a win over Novak Djokovic and a run to the semi-finals in Eastbourne.
If he is anywhere close to 100% at the Indiana Hard Court Championships, he should win his first title since Indian Wells.
However, he could win a title before he heads over to Indiana.
Draper received a wild card into the Washington Open ATP 500 event.
If Draper were to win that, he would jump into the top 75 and wouldn’t need to play any Challenger tournaments.
Winning Washington is easier said than done, though, as the 24-year-old will be joined by a whole host of big names in the nation’s capital.
2026 Washington Open – Top eight seeds
- 1. Felix Auger-Aliassime (ATP #4)
- 2. Alex de Minaur (ATP #5)
- 3. Ben Shelton (ATP #6)
- 4. Daniil Medvedev (ATP #8)
- 5. Taylor Fritz (ATP #10)
- 6. Lorenzo Musetti (ATP #15)
- 7. Learner Tien (ATP #16)
- 8. Frances Tiafoe (ATP #17)
Whether he can rise to the top and claim the title remains to be seen.
This year’s Washington Open main draw begins on Monday, July 27.
