Draper makes winning return to tour after injury

British number one Jack Draper said he felt "really proud" after marking his post-injury return to action on the ATP Tour with a straight-set victory over Frenchman Quentin Halys in Dubai.

Competing on the men's tour for the first time since the US Open last August, Draper won 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 on his debut at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The 24-year-old, who has slipped to 15th in the world after reaching a career-high ranking of fourth in June, will play Hungary's Fabian Marozsan or France's Arthur Rinderknech next.

"I've been craving the feeling of competing for a very long time," Draper said in his post-match interview.

"It just felt normal, it felt like I was coming back to doing what I love, which is being out here, competing and having the adrenaline of winning and losing points.

"A lot of people have helped me to get back to this position after a lot of down moments [during] the last eight months.

"It's not been easy to be back here and that's something I can be really proud of. Long may it continue."

Draper contested his first competitive match for 164 days when he played at the Davis Cup qualifiers earlier in February, beating Norway's Viktor Durasovic in straight sets.

But he had remained absent from tour singles competition since withdrawing from the US Open before his second-round match because of a left arm injury six months ago.

Draper won the prestigious Masters 1,000 title at Indian Wells and reached the fourth round of the Australian and French Opens in a promising start to his 2025 season.

But he began struggling with a bruised bone in his service arm during the clay-court swing in April, and the issue progressively worsened.

Determined to complete a full recovery from the issue, Draper took the decision to miss the Australian Open in January before making his return for Great Britain on 5 February.

Seeded fourth in Dubai, Draper had to withstand a set point when serving at 5-4 down in the opening set but went on to edge a tight tie-break by winning three consecutive points to overcome an 8-7 deficit.

Despite first-set opportunities for both players, the first break of serve in the contest did not arrive until the fourth game of the second set when the 68th-ranked Halys hit wide to give Draper a 3-1 lead.

Draper served out victory untroubled from there, conceding just two further points on serve as he ending the match with an impressive 86% win rate on his first serve.

The left-hander's successful recovery from injury was also underlined by the fact 19 of his 24 winners flew off his previously affected forehand side.

Meanwhile, it was a mixed bag for Britons Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie in Mexico.

Boulter, 29, came through her first-round tie with Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4 6-4 at the Merida Open in Mexico.

But seventh seed Norrie, 30, fell to a surprise 6-3 6-2 defeat by Spain's Rafael Jodar at the Mexican Open.

The post-victory celebration might have been reserved - a solemn face only briefly breaking into half a smile - but Draper will be delighted with his ATP Tour return, make no mistake.

An absence of nearly six months has undoubtedly been difficult for Draper to deal with, but it is all about playing the long game in a career that has been characterised by injury.

Draper was wearing a protective compression sleeve on the affected arm, but he continued to play freely and fluently from the baseline.

It has been clear for a while there is not a straightforward fix with an injury of this nature.

Generally speaking, the fear with a bruised humerus is the problem could lead to a more serious stress fracture with continued repetition and torsional stress - which tennis players clearly face.

Patience has become a virtue which Draper has needed to learn - and, while this was an impressive return, he may still need more of it in the weeks and months ahead.