Highlights: Alcaraz beats Djokovic to complete career Grand Slam
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Jack Draper has said that the relentless pursuit of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner pushed his body to breaking point during 2025, ultimately bringing the British No. 1’s season to a premature end.Novak Djokovic – in his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam – came close to disrupting the pair’s growing stranglehold on men’s tennis when he was beaten in four sets by Alcaraz at the Australian Open last month.
But Draper admits the standard being set at the top of the game has placed intense physical demands on those trying to keep pace.
The Sutton-born left-hander missed the Melbourne showpiece with an arm injury but made his long-awaited return this week following five months of rehabilitation.
Draper played his first competitive match in 164 days on Thursday, defeating Viktor Durasovic 6-2 6-2 as Great Britain secured a Davis Cup victory over Norway in Oslo.
Now 24, Draper rose to a career-high world No. 4 last June before being forced into an extended spell on the sidelines, watching Alcaraz and Sinner continue their dominance of the men’s game.
Highlights: Djokovic beats Sinner in thriller to set up Alcaraz final
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Against Durasovic, ranked more than 300 places below him, there were encouraging signs that he is rediscovering his best form.
Indeed, Draper believes the enforced break may ultimately prove beneficial and insists he will return better equipped to challenge the Spanish-Italian duopoly at the top of the sport.
“That was my goal anyway, and potentially that’s part of the reason why my body did break down,” said Draper, who beat Alcaraz en route to his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells last March.
“Maybe I was trying so hard to play in the right way – to hit the ball harder, to get free points – and that just became a stress for me.
“I’ve learnt a lot about myself mentally and physically. I’ve done a lot of things that have really put me in a good place.
“For sure, those guys are leading the sport at the moment, and I’m really hungry to get to where they are, so I’m going to do everything I can to do that.”
Draper has his sights on joining Carlos Alcaraz at tennis’ top table
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Currently ranked 13th in the world, Draper had hoped to return earlier but suffered two further delays before rejoining Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley and world No. 1 doubles pairing Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash in Oslo.
Glasspool and Cash survived a scare on Friday to ensure Great Britain progressed to a later tie against either Ecuador or Australia for a place in November’s eight-team Davis Cup Finals.
Draper had played just one match since his second-round defeat by Marin Cilic at Wimbledon last summer, having been sidelined by bone bruising in his left service arm.
“I wouldn’t want any tennis player to go through this with their playing arm,” he added.
“But at the same time, I’ve learnt many things through this period – not only personally, but from a career perspective – that are definitely going to help me move forward and be a better player.
“I do believe I’m a better player than I was in the summer, when I was winning a lot and playing great. You can only get to that point with the right mindset and by seeing this injury and lay-off as an opportunity to improve, and I feel I’ve done that.”
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