Jack Draper: jack draper makes winning return to ATP Tour in Dubai
jack draper marked his return to ATP Tour singles with a straight-sets victory over French qualifier Quentin Halys at the Dubai Tennis Championships, winning 7-6 (10-8) 6-3. The 24-year-old, who said he felt "really proud, " will face either Hungary's Fabian Marozsan or France's Arthur Rinderknech in the second round.
Jack Draper’s Dubai debut and stats
Draper, seeded fourth in Dubai, made his debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships and required one hour and 39 minutes to beat the 68th-ranked Halys 7-6 (10-8) 6-3. He ended the match with an 86% win rate on his first serve, conceding just two further points on serve as he served out the victory, and recorded 24 winners, 19 of which came off his previously affected forehand side.
Match details and tiebreak drama
The opening set went to a tight tie-break in which Draper was forced to save set points; he withstood a set point when serving at 5-4 and edged the tie-break by winning three consecutive points to overcome an 8-7 deficit. The Independent account notes he saved two set points in the first-set tie-break. The only break of the match arrived in the fourth game of the second set when Halys hit wide to give Draper a 3-1 lead, after which Draper served out the win untroubled.
Recovery, injury and timeline
Draper had not played a match in a singles tournament since the US Open first round on 25 August and his Dubai victory was his first on the ATP since that US Open appearance. He recorded his first tour-level win in 182 days and returned from what has been described as a seven-month injury lay-off. He had played just one match since Wimbledon because of bone bruising in his left arm and had remained absent from tour singles competition since withdrawing from the US Open before his second-round match six months ago; that US Open run included a win over Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round before the withdrawal.
Comeback starts with Davis Cup
Draper contested his first competitive match for 164 days when he played in the Davis Cup qualifiers earlier in February, beating Norway's Viktor Durasovic in straight sets as Great Britain defeated Norway. He had missed the Australian Open in January to focus on recovery and made his return for Great Britain on 5 February.
Coach work and visible changes
The 24-year-old unveiled a new buzz cut in Dubai, a look described as possibly inspired by Carlos Alcaraz's accidental buzz cut from the US Open. Draper said he had been hitting a "sh*tload" of serves over the past eight months and had worked on changing part of his service motion since starting with new coach Jamie Delgado. He added: "It's more serving than I've ever done in the past because I’ve had to get my arm back to being 100 per cent and that takes time. "
Season form and immediate context
Before the injury problems Draper won the Masters 1, 000 title at Indian Wells and reached the fourth round of the Australian and French Opens in a promising start to his 2025 season. He began struggling with a bruised bone in his service arm during the clay-court swing in April, and the issue progressively worsened, prompting his absence. After reaching a career-high ranking of fourth in June, he has slipped to 15th in the world.
Draper spoke about the return in the post-match interview, saying: "I've been craving the feeling of competing for a very long time. " He added: "It just felt normal, it felt like I was coming back to doing what I love, which is being out here, competing and having the adrenaline of winning and losing points. A lot of people have helped me to get back to this position after a lot of down moments [during] the last eight months. It's not been easy to be back here and that's something I can be really proud of. Long may it continue. " He also said: "It feels so good, honestly. To be out here, to be competing in front of people. I've been craving the feeling of competing for, for a very long time. "
He will now meet either Fabian Marozsan or Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. Meanwhile, it was a mixed bag for Britons Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie in Mexico.
Closing: Draper's Dubai win combined a return from a lengthy, bone-bruising lay-off, visible changes to his appearance and serving work with a new coach, ending a long gap since the US Open and setting up a second-round match against Fabian Marozsan or Arthur Rinderknech.
