For 24-year-old Jack Draper, his return to grass courts comes after spending most of the past year sidelined by chronic arm and knee injuries. As he prepares for his home Grand Slam, the Eastbourne International will also mark his first tournament since adding three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray to his team as coach. However, the road since the ATP 500 in Barcelona was far from easy, as the Briton now admits to embracing some harsh truths before making a comeback. 

“It’s been an incredibly difficult year,” Draper said at the pre-tournament press conference. “I’m someone who’s all-in with my tennis. I’m obsessed with improving and getting better and being the best in the world and doing all the right things. As a competitor, all you want to do is feel the buzz of being out there competing.”

The former World No. 4 explained why the situation had been so emotionally draining. “It’s not like a football team where you can have a substitute come in and take your place. It’s like you’re watching your decline. So it’s tough.”

That frustration for the Briton came from months of pain and uncertainty. Just last year, it looked as though Draper had finally found his breakthrough on the ATP tour.

A long spell of good health and form on the court had helped him climb to a career-high ranking; everything seemed to be falling into place for the young Brit. Instead, the last 11 months have trapped him in a cycle of injuries and recovery. Every time he looked ready to return, another setback arrived.

The Sutton native last competed in early April at the Barcelona Open, where he was forced to retire from the tournament because of knee tendinitis.

And the unfortunate thing was that the knee problem came soon after a 7-month absence. He had already spent that period recovering from a bone bruise in his left arm.

Those repeated injuries have taken a toll on his current ATP ranking as well, and he has now slipped to world No. 160.

Still, the Briton believes the difficult journey has strengthened him mentally and physically as of now. “And even though my ranking slipped and I haven’t played, when you go through a lot of struggles and a lot of setbacks, it definitely gives you the mental fortitude to think: ‘I’ve got something a little bit extra to these guys because of what I’ve gone through.’”

Now, Draper is preparing for his return at the Lexus Eastbourne Open against the American Marcos Giron. With former world No. 1 Andy Murray watching from his player box, Draper will also be careful not to push himself too hard before ‌SW19.

Jack Draper credits Andy Murray for the serve change that eased his injury concerns

Sir Andy Murray joined the 24-year-old’s team for the grass-court swing as his former coach, James Trotman, who works with the Lawn Tennis Association, is also helping him during this period.

And the two-time Olympic gold winner’s arrival has given the former Indian Wells winner a much-needed boost. “Definitely, since Andy’s come on board, he’s taken a look at my tennis and definitely worked on some stuff, biomechanical changes on my serve. I think we’ve worked on some stuff on my serve, which seems to be really helping,” he explained.

The serve adjustment before today’s match comes after a long period of physical setbacks.  His problems began with an arm injury suffered at the Madrid Open last year. Despite the pain, he continued playing through SW19 and later the US Open.

Eventually, the injury became too much to manage, as the Briton ended his season early before his scheduled second-round match against Zizou Bergs at the last Grand Slam.

He finally enjoyed a brief revival earlier this year at the Sunshine Doubles. This time, however, Draper stunned Novak Djokovic before eventually falling to former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the QF. 

Now, with just a week remaining before The Championship, Draper believes the Eastbourne Open is the ideal place to test his fitness. And with Andy Murray guiding him from courtside, Draper hopes to build momentum before heading to SW19.