“I feel great” – Draper leaves worrying hip problems behind him in positive Indian Wells showing
The Briton had been struggling with a recurrent hip injury over the past few months, but careful management was key to a successful recovery
Jack Draper, Indian Wells, 2025 © Tristan Lapierre / Tennis Majors
After the agony of watching Andy Murray‘s painful and extended battle with a chronic hip issue over the past seven years, British tennis fans will have been wincing at the news that the Scot’s successor was also struggling with a similar affliction so early in his career.
It was over the off-season that word got out of a hip injury to Jack Draper that had been disrupting the Briton’s preparation for the new year ahead.
A much anticipated link-up with Carlos Alcaraz in Spain for a week’s training session in December failed to materialise, with Draper revealing that a flare-up of tendinitis in his hip – a problem he’d encountered before in his career – had caused significant pain and needed time to heal.
Draper and his team will have been acutely aware of the longer-term issues that such a sensitive area of the body may sustain if the problem was not managed as delicately and carefully as possible.
Having pulled out of Great Britain’s line-up for the season-opening United Cup, and having had most of his pre-season preparation decimated, Draper faced a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open in January. It was a race he initially appeared to win, but after three gruelling five-setters in a row, the then-world No 15 was forced to retire from his fourth-round encounter with Alcaraz.
“Essentially I had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to get an MRI to look at,” Draper explained at the time.
“I have had a history of problems in that area and it hasn’t gone away. I’m still dealing with that. In pre-season, it went into my back and I couldn’t walk. It was really difficult.
“This area of my body, if I don’t get that right and I don’t make good decisions, I don’t want to miss three or four months because of that.”
careful body management crucial to draper’s recovery
Self-discipline and managing his body in the correct way over the past two months since that withdrawal in Melbourne has proved to be a crucial juncture in Draper’s season, while perhaps also having significant benefits for his longer-term career.
Draper took a month away from competitive action, skipping Great Britain’s Davis Cup loss against Japan before returning to the tour to reach the final in Doha in February.
A promising run in Qatar would have led to a temptation to play in Dubai the following week in an attempt to carry that strong momentum into another tournament.
Yet, that temptation was resisted as Draper sensibly opted to miss the Dubai Tennis Championships and set his sights on the first Masters 1000 event of the year at Indian Wells.
These decisions so far appear to have paid dividends for the Briton, who has earned himself another last-16 berth in the Californian desert, courtesy of two excellent wins over rising Brazilian star Joao Fonseca and talented American Jenson Brooksby.
“I feel great,” was Draper’s candid admission following that victory over Brooksby in the last 32.
“You know, I’m playing doubles this week, as well. So, you know, I think by playing doubles as well, that’s a sign that, you know, I’m in a good spot with my body.”
Draper’s optimistic outlook will be warmly received by fans of the Briton, as he went on to explain that he feels the hip issues that clouded the start of his season are now a thing of the past.
“I feel strong. I feel like the problems I had are behind me, and, you know, I’m looking forward to hopefully being consistent from here on out.
“I’m really, really happy with the way I have managed the last couple of months, and coming here as well, I feel really good, so really happy with that.”
Draper will face another home hope when he takes on Californian native Taylor Fritz in the last 16. The pair are locked at two wins apiece in their head-to-head record, but Draper won their last encounter at the Paris Masters last autumn, which was also their only meeting on hard courts.
Even if Draper were to be knocked out by Fritz in the next round, if he can head over to Miami for the second leg of the prestigious ‘Sunshine Double’ feeling completely fit and healthy, this will be no small measure of victory in itself.
