Jack Draper is optimistic of a return to previous form after his misery continued in Cincinnati with an opening round defeat to Martin Landaluce.
The Brit’s struggles continued as he lost to Landaluce 6-3 7-5 but Draper seemed to be playing some good tennis at times.
Despite going an early break down, Draper showed some promising signs before being broken again at the end of the opening set.
In the second set Draper was ruthless in attack and he broke serve and had a 5-2 lead as he looked set to forcing a deciding set.
However, that’s when Draper’s body once again let him down as he would lose the next five games against the Spaniard.
It’s a defeat that is tough to take for Draper who once again looked sad during his match in what has been a tough season for the former world number four.
Before the tournament in Cincinnati Draper reflected on breaking down in tears in Canada and believes that he is now at the acceptance stage of his comeback, “I don’t get emotional often. There was once I got emotional in practice in May when I had really bad knee tendinitis and my arm was really sore as well. I was in so much pain. I was running and my knee [hurt] and my hitting the balls and my arm was sore,” Draper told The Guardian on media day.
“Last week came from a place of, I think I had so much to focus on and manage, so much change going on in my tennis. I got to [No]4 in the world through doing the same things, the consistent work, the differences, and then went through this whole process of a lot of setbacks and a lot of struggle. That’s taken a lot out of me. But then at the same time, I’m in a position where I’m having to start again. That reality is difficult sometimes.
“The reason I got emotional was that through all the challenges, you can forget who you are on the court. And last week I felt like I couldn’t give any more. I was emotional because I didn’t recognise the player I was out on the court due to my injuries and due to probably the way I’ve been feeling for a long time. When you reach rock bottom like that you can come back up again. Since then I’ve practised really well, I’ve had amazing support from the people around me and you get to a point more and more of acceptance.
“We’ve definitely reached that acceptance phase now.”
The next steps for Draper are set to be a challenging one for the Brit who was a contender for going deep at Grand Slams but is now outside the world’s top 100.
There is a peace in the next challenge for Draper the Brit suggested as he now hopes he can get back to the heights he was once at, “It’s a difficult one because I’m a winner. I’m out there, I want to perform. But I have to accept reality, which is that I have to find a way in very uncomfortable circumstances right now,” Draper explained.
“But if that can get me to the end of the year where I’m feeling really good again and my body’s in a great place and my mind’s in a great place, then that’s only going to help me to move completely past this injury. But there is a way out and I’m seeing that on a day-to-day basis. At the very start of my injury, if I was to say to myself: ‘Right, I’m four in the world now, what’s the worst outcome?’ It would probably be where I’ve got to.
“But there’s a certain peace in that and acceptance because I have to start again. And what a challenge.”
