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Jack Draper believes his “very special” relationship with Andy Murray and the faith the Scot has in him will help him to find a way through the toughest period of his career as he returns to the circuit at Eastbourne after an injury-ravaged 11 months.
Draper is due to compete for the first time in two and a half months at the Eastbourne International on Monday after being sidelined for the vast majority of the past year due to chronic arm and knee injuries. As he tries to be ready for Wimbledon, which begins next a week on Monday, this will also be his first tournament since asking Murray, his childhood idol and a friend, to join his team as coach.
“His tennis knowledge is incredible,” Draper said of Murray. Of his own circumstances, he said: “My tennis is actually in a really, really good spot. [I have] lost a lot of confidence in my body over the last year that I’m rebuilding back again.
“Having someone who believes in you as a person, as a player who’s one of your biggest inspirations … I have a great relationship with him off the court – our relationship is very special – and that gives me a bit more energy, especially in a moment where I’m coming back and I need to have that good energy around me.”
A year ago, it seemed as if Draper had finally found his way, a lengthy period of good health allowing him to rise up the rankings to a career high of world No 4. Instead, he has spent the past 11 months stuck in a cycle of injuries and pain. The 24-year-old last competed in early April at the Barcelona Open, where he retired because of knee tendinitis. His knee injury had come soon after a seven-month layoff due to a bone bruise in his left arm. He has fallen to No 113 in the rankings.
Although he always thought he would come back, Draper admitted he was “absolutely not” mentally OK over the past year. “It’s been an incredibly difficult year,” he said. “I’m someone who’s all-in with my tennis. I’m obsessed with improving and getting better and being the best in the world and doing all the right things.
“Outside of tennis, there’s not a lot going on for me. So it’s obviously been very difficult, very isolated, a lot of tough days, a lot of training. As a competitor, all you want to do is feel the buzz of being out there competing. I’ve had to be incredibly patient with my body.”
Draper has had to come to terms with the fact his arm injury “might never go away” but he is adamant he can have the career he deserves. “I was top 10 in the world, doing great things, and you’re losing your ranking every week,” he said.
“It’s not like a football team where you can have a substitute come in and take your place. It’s like you’re watching your decline. So it’s tough, but I think I’ve learned a massive amount about my body in the last year and my recovery.”
The silver lining for Draper is that he believes this period will give him the edge against his rivals. “Before, in the position I was, I still felt like maybe there’s mental levels I needed to go to to get to where I wanted to be,” he said.
“And even though my ranking slipped and I haven’t played, when you go through a lot of struggles and a lot of setbacks, it definitely gives you the mental fortitude to think: ‘I’ve got something a little bit extra to these guys because of what I’ve gone through.’”
