Draper: Will Take Time to Regain Physicality

By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 20, 2026
Photo credit: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Jack Draper played one of the most dynamic matches of the year edging Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells.

Today, Draper was disarmed by Reilly Opelka’s rocket launcher.

Opelka slammed 25 aces and won 47 of 54 first-serve points in a 7-6(3), 7-6(0) Miami Open win over Draper.

The 2025 Indian Wells champion Draper was playing just his third tournament of the year after a left arm injury forced him to shut down the 2025 season following his US Open first-round win.

The British left-hander said he’s accepted the fact it will take time for him to regain the physicality he showed as a Top 10 player last year.

“I think there is definitely a lot of areas I can take away from the last few weeks,” Draper said. “I think it’s going to take me time to get back to where I want to be with my tennis and my physicality and everything after the injury I have had.

“You know, it’s one thing to, you know, come back to the competitiveness, but sometimes it’s like people think, oh, just because you have been away, you must be feeling great, must be feeling really fresh mentally and ready to go.”

Draper said he must re-establish his fitness and status among his peers.

“It’s different to that, because obviously you go through so much when you get injured, and it’s mentally very tough to come back just to competing,” Draper said. “Like I said, I think it’s just going to be a bit of a process for me, and my momentum that I had last year, I’m going to have to earn that back again. I guess that’s the thing, I’m going to go away, work hard, and earn that momentum, yeah.”

Despite the fact he did not face a break point today, Draper’s Sunshine Double is over. The 2025 Madrid finalist said he’s aiming to regain rhythm on dirt.

“I’m actually really looking forward to it,” Draper said of the upcoming spring clay season. “I think it’s probably good for my game to play on some courts where I can get a lot of rhythm with my tennis again.
Dubai and especially this week, very quick courts. I feel like apart from Indian Wells, I played a couple of
tournaments where it’s just been serve/return.

“So I’m looking forward to getting on the clay actually and playing some rallies and getting my confidence back in my tennis, yeah.”