Britain's Jack Draper has revealed to Your Site he was "in a hole" due to the "complex" nature of his arm injury, but stresses he is now ready to compete and is set on defending his Indian Wells title.
The British No 1 has played just one match since Wimbledon in July, with bone bruising in his left arm curtailing his 2025 season entirely and ruling him out of the Australian Open last month.
The 24-year-old has been dogged by serious injury before, missing six months of the 2023 season due to a shoulder problem that required several operations, but the nature of this injury has proven even more difficult to deal with.
Speaking from Oslo ahead of being apart of Great Britain's Davis Cup showdown with Norway, Draper told Your Site: "I've really missed competing.
"It's been a long time, but I've learned a lot of things. It's been a very difficult injury for me, but it's good to be back here.
"It's one thing staying afloat because we're used to being 100 miles an hour on the road, and then all of that gets taken away from you, the buzz of competing.
"You're kind of like in a hole and you need to get yourself out of that hole somehow, especially with a long injury. There's not been just one moment but many moments where it's been very, very difficult, not only myself but my team and my family.
"But that's where you've got to stay strong, you've got to keep on going.
"I know that I'm very grateful to live the life that I have and I'm very motivated for the future as well. That's the one thing that's kept me going is to keep in mind that I do have a big vision for myself, and I know that time will come again, but I have to keep on persevering."
Draper has managed his schedule more carefully since his shoulder injury some years ago, reaching the US Open semi-finals in 2024 and claiming his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in March 2025 at Indian Wells.
The Briton reached a career-high world ranking of No 4 in June last year, but injury cut short his season as he withdrew after the first round of the US Open and missed the ATP Tour Finals in Turin.
"When I first got it [latest arm injury], I didn't know much about bone stresses," he said.
"I'd heard they're quite nasty to deal with, but I'd never really understood it and then quickly realised it's not like a hamstring or a bad ankle or something where you know the timeline for your recovery.
"It's one of those things where it's just your body naturally goes at the right time, and it's just been quite a lot of setbacks, quite a lot of adjusting to the load.
"It's in my left arm and I have to hit a serve at 135 miles an hour. It's not easy to get it to the point where it's good again.
"It's ultimately like the injury needs to recover, but then also you need to get it to the point where it can manage the load of what you're doing on the tennis court.
"So, with me, that's hitting hard forehands and hard serves. It's a lot of load and that takes a long, long time.
"I know a few people who've had the same injury, and it's a long, drawn-out process and it's not easy to deal with."
Despite the nature of his injury and his length of time away from the sport, Draper is confident it will not play on his mind on his return, and says he fully intends to defend his Indian Wells title in March.
"So I actually have made many improvements. I feel physically in amazing shape," he added.
"I've had a lot of time to do the training and make adjustments to that, so it's just getting my serve back to the level that it needs to be in.
"Obviously the prolonged amount I've been out has been due to the fact I'm not coming back from this injury at just 80 or 70 per cent. I want to be coming back and have the full capacity to do what I need to do.
"Who knows? [when we might see the best Jack Draper] It might be straightaway. It's possible.
"It's possible because I've been working really hard. I would say I'm a better player than I was six months ago from all the things I've been doing. I just need match play.
"Tennis is a confidence-based sport. It's a sport where you play better the more you compete, so it might take me a bit of time to get back into it, but I feel really confident.
"It's just making sure this injury gets behind me and then I can progress strongly."
Your Site Tennis' Jonathan Overend:
"For Draper to say he's a better player now than six months ago, considering he's only played one match, is quite a statement and testament to his hard work and that of his team during the spell of inactivity.
"Telling was his assertion that he doesn't want to return at 70-80 per cent fitness. By missing Australia, he's allowed himself extra time to make sure he hits the comeback at full pelt.
"He's certainly looked sharp in practice here in Oslo, hitting the ball as fiercely as ever.
"As for the future; 'No reason it can't be straightaway', he said with an excited glint in his eye, when I asked when we may see peak Draper this season. To be honest, that surprised me. But it excited me even more."
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