Draper: "I had to control my serve to not feel so much pain"
The British tennis player reveals that he has returned to the circuit earlier than recommended and explains the limitations of his injury.
Jack Draper started strongly in this 2025 US Open, overcoming his debut in New York with a four-set battle against Agustín Gómez. The world number 7 has been making waves on the court, although his early defeat in London raised many uncertainties as he arrived at Flushing Meadows.
The British tennis player confessed that he had problems in his left arm, discomfort that forced him to skip all tournaments until the American Grand Slam. In a press conference, Jack talked about his feelings after securing his first victory in this 2025 US Open where he is defending the semifinals.
"It's been a while since I played competitive singles. From my point of view, it wasn't my best performance, but at the same time, there were issues to address, different things, some very good, others quite mediocre. I'll give it another shot on Thursday. I'm very proud to still be here."
About the problems in his arm
"I had to control my serve a bit to make sure I didn't feel so much pain. At the same time, I feel that my precision is somewhat better at times. The power increase is quite fast, so I haven't been able to serve at full throttle these past weeks. I got used to lowering the pace a bit.
I needed tennis in my legs. I needed to play a three-hour match. I was almost a bit relieved when I lost the third set because my level wasn't the best. Then, towards the end of the fourth, I felt like I was starting to improve more and more. It was good to have some competitive tennis in my legs, and obviously, in Grand Slams, you have plenty of time to do it."
Feeling good at this 2025 US Open
"There's a recovery process. With the arm injury I had, the return to competition probably will be in about eight weeks; I've been here seven weeks, so I'm coming back early. In any rehabilitation process, there are always good days and bad days. There are days when you're very motivated because you think you're on the right track, and then there are days when you have setbacks. We're confident that I'm not further damaging the arm and am ready to compete. It's not going to set me back, so that's very positive."
His plans for the future
"I think I'm going to play a full schedule. I feel like I'm still improving and getting back to 100%. It's just that I don't have to give my all all the time. There's nothing stopping me from playing more and more tournaments as I go along. Obviously, we'll take it day by day and see how it goes, but at the same time, I plan to play a full schedule until the end of the year."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Draper: "He tenido que controlar mi saque para no sentir tanto dolor"