Jack Draper gives injury update ahead of Indian Wells title defence

Draper won his first match back on the ATP Tour against Quentin Halys, before suffering a three-set defeat in the second round to Shanghai Masters finalist Arthur Rinderknech.

After spending over four hours on the match court in Dubai, Draper spoke to the New York Times and provided a positive update on his arm.

“(It) responded really, really well,” revealed Draper. “I can’t ask for a better week and it gives me a lot of confidence now that I’m able to keep backing up week after week.”

During his lengthy period on the sidelines, Draper hired Jamie Delgado before announcing his split from long-term coach James Trotman.

Draper said, “He’s a guy who’s not got much of an ego, he’s someone that I get on extremely well with, that I trust, and hopefully we can achieve great (things) together.”

Indian Wells draw: Who Jack Draper could face

Draper has been getting back into the swing of things in California ahead of his title defence, and he now has a clearer picture of who might stand in his way at Indian Wells.

Entering as the 14th seed, Draper will skip the opening round and is set to face either Fabian Marozsan or former top-10 player Roberto Bautista Agut in his first match.

The first seeded opponent Draper could encounter is Francisco Cerundolo, a player he has yet to beat in two previous meetings.

If he gets past that potential matchup with Cerundolo, a fourth-round clash against Novak Djokovic could be on the cards. Draper hasn’t faced the 24-time Grand Slam winner since their meeting at Wimbledon in 2021 when he was just 19.

The main draw starts on Wednesday, March 4th, but Draper’s campaign won’t begin until at least Friday. With 1000 points to defend, an early exit could see him fall out of the top 30 and lose his status as Britain’s number one.