THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 28, 2026

Jack Draper

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: First question for Jack.

Q. What's the feeling in terms of the process that you've been through now, stopping yourself from going into events maybe a little bit too early, you're desperate to get back on court, how do you stop yourself personally or do you let your team drive that decision?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, I've always been guided by the people around me, for sure. I think the nature of my injuries, especially the one I had after Wimbledon last year, extremely complicated. It's one of those, it's hard to tell when you can push, when not to push.

At the end of the day it's like I'm playing a very aggressive sport, as well, that you need to play through some stuff. Sometimes it's too much. Sometimes it's not.

I'm always guided by the people around me. I wouldn't be competing anywhere if there was a chance that I'm going to get a lot worse, for instance.

Q. Obviously you've been dealing with injuries on and off for the last few years. Could you speak to the sort of toll that can take on a person? How have you managed your body letting you down?

JACK DRAPER: It's very difficult. I think when I was younger, I had quite a few sort of setbacks. Then came through that and had a couple years of where I wasn't. I made some incredible progress.

Looking back coming here last year as 4 in the world, I was feeling incredible and looking forward to everything that was to come. I felt like I was gradually building up and up and up, confidence in my tennis, in my body, in my mind.

Then you have something that stops you in your tracks when you're not expecting it. I think it's really difficult to accept that, especially after coming through what you've come through in the past.

Yeah, I didn't know I was going to have the year I've had with the injuries, not being able to play too much, watching your sort of ranking drop all the way down again to the start.

I suppose again, like, you've got to see that as where you're at. You always have to look at the positive side of things. I have to rebuild myself and I have to start again almost.

I think my tennis hasn't gone anywhere because I've really been dedicated every day to try and do everything possible so that when I am back on court, like now, I'm in a good place.

I still believe, even now after all this time, I'm still competing at an incredibly high level. I'm looking forward to working my way up again.

Q. Are you speaking to anyone, like a sports psychologist? Anything helping you get through that?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, obviously you speak to -- there's a lot of people around me who have really helped. Yeah, sports sort of psychologist. Talk to myself a lot, as well. That helps.

Q. There was a slightly alarming photo on your Instagram. You're on your back, a lot of stuff on both kneecaps, ice everywhere. Was that during Eastbourne?

JACK DRAPER: No, no. I mean, if you look closely, I had short hair there. That was a couple months ago when I was going through some difficult moments. But yeah, I think it was just at the time, that was the feeling.

I mean, I've definitely been much more on top of a lot of recovery stuff. Every day has been about recovery for the next day, yeah. Slowly but surely getting my body back to feeling great.

Q. How close do you feel to being 100%?

JACK DRAPER: I would say that my power, in terms of when I can compete, I would say my power is in a really good place. I'm moving great. I still say I'm far from perfect. I'm getting there.

It's been an incredibly long process, like I said. It's taken a lot out of me mentally coming back and coming back and coming back.

At the same time I feel like I'm in a position now where I can compete at a really high level and really compete with the best players. There was a period, even earlier this year, I was compromising a lot of things. I was using gut strings, changing different areas in my game, not practicing hardly at all.

Now I'm in a position where I've got that load for my body and I'm able to go out there and compete.

Q. Do you think the injuries that you've gotten, especially this year, they're all bad luck? Do you think a deeper issue, in tennis we're taking more and more injuries, the wrists, elbows, shoulders? Do you think something has changed? Are you worried that your body can't handle the load?

JACK DRAPER: I mean, I think my arm injury, for instance, is something that I couldn't foresee. It was bad luck. With muscles, it's more of like a load thing. Also bones are a load thing as well.

I think when we're in a sport where we're competing all the time, practicing all the time, trying to progress my game. Like last year I would say I did well in the Masters 1000s. I was really trying to develop my game and push my game more and more every week to reach those guys like Alcaraz and Sinner, who obviously play at an incredibly high level. I just broke down.

I think it's pretty worrying the state of men's tennis, especially right now. The amount of injuries, especially through young players, Musetti, I know Fils has had a lot of trouble, Alcaraz' wrist. When I look at the draws for the weeks when I was out, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist. Whether that's the quality of the balls... I don't think there's more matches nowadays and stuff.

I think definitely the way athletes are getting better and hitting the ball harder and moving better, I think it's my opinion they need to really take a close look at what we're doing on tour. Definitely the state of the Masters 1000s, the 12-day events.

I was privy to those conversations when I was a top-10 player. Now I'm not. Don't care as much about what I say.

I think the tournaments are going to suffer a lot if not much changes. I think it's a really important topic. I hope that as time goes on things do change.

Q. How does it feel to have Andy here as part of your team at Wimbledon? Any insights or tips you've got from him, specifically here?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, I think having him around helps a lot. I think, as I've always said, he's one of my biggest inspirations. I think when you're dealing with the pressure of a home tournament, there's not much I guess advice he can give me.

I think him just being here, being in the presence of myself, not just now, but the last few weeks, has really helped my confidence.

It's not been an easy time at all. Him being around to sort of help guide me through this period, get me back to being on court, get me back to competing, has been very, very special. I think it's just the start.

Andy's obviously dealt with an incredible amount throughout his career. I have huge admiration for what he's done. I think it will be a great partnership what we've got.

Q. Does he tell you many stories? Did you ask him about his wins here?

JACK DRAPER: No, no, I haven't. I think it's a difficult one. Players obviously have their own experiences. I'm sure Andy would have gone through many different emotions. I think he's publicly said it wasn't the most stress-free time he's ever been in. I suppose that's a testament to the hard work and the dedication.

I think if you do all the right things, if you compete really hard, if you look after your recovery, if you look after all these things, that's what is going to make it the easiest when you go out there and compete. I think Andy is a prime example of that ultimate professionalism.

Q. You were one of the original signatories to the letter to the slams. Are you still supportive of the players who have been doing their protests at the French Open and here?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, when I signed the letter, it definitely made a lot of sense to me about the player welfare and looking after some of the smaller things. I think the slams can definitely contribute more for the amount the slams bring in. I think the ATP do a really good job of that in general.

I think Wimbledon have really done an amazing job this year to increase the prize money. They're doing other things behind the scenes that really are helping the players.

Yeah, I think Wimbledon as a tournament, and all the Grand Slams, to be fair, they're improving every single year. I think having more attention on what they're giving back to the players I think has been a good thing.

Q. Your service motion, looks like you've gone back to something closer to what you had before. Is that right?

JACK DRAPER: Yes.

Q. What's the thinking behind it?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, originally with my serve, I had an arm injury a couple years ago, so I was kind of just looking at what changes I could make to my serve.

One of the them was the platform stance. I guess it makes it so that you can't throw the ball too far in front so you're not using your arm all the time. I was using platform for a while, throwing the ball behind my head more. I think it was helping my arm. Didn't necessarily help my knee, which wasn't a great thing.

So yeah, I think over time from a performance point of view as well, I always liked having my step-up serve. It was just at the time I was desperately trying to do everything to help my arm. I kind of went away from performance when I went for my platform stance.

That's not an easy change. Going back to the step-up and the pinpoint serve, making a few other adjustments as well, hopefully over time that's going to really come together nicely.

Q. Your arm has been okay?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, yeah.

Q. We just had Serena in. Tuesday Maya Joint is the one who's got to face her. When you played Novak here five years ago, I think it was your Grand Slam debut, how did you find that experience of playing someone who presumably had been a hero growing up? Do you look back thinking I would have done this or that differently?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I think it was a really special experience playing Novak, looking back. I think I was in the Aorangi when they were doing the draw, I saw his name, it was my name. I was like, Wow. A few days to sort of think about it.

It was difficult in a way because I would say my biggest lessons from playing him and sort of I saw it after that as well by playing other matches when I came onto the tour, was almost not playing a match the day before.

When I played him, I was already doing my grips. The night before, I was already locked in listening to Gladiator. I was sort of playing the match five hours before I even faced him. It's a fight-set match. It's a tough, it's a long battle.

I just remember playing the first set, thinking like I've already been playing this match in my mind for a day, I'm knackered. Obviously he showed his class.

I think that day as well, the court was extremely slippy, as well. I remember that. It was one of those things, it's like I just started out playing. I was playing the futures. I didn't know what I was doing with the tennis anymore. All my dreams of playing the Grand Slams and the big matches seemed like they disappeared when I played the futures, no one is there, no one is watching, in tough places.

To play him on Centre Court reminded me why I loved the sport and reminded me why I wanted to be a top player.

Q. You talked a lot about how your life revolves around your tennis. You said you don't have much outside of that. When you were off the tour, did you do things to distract yourself from what you were going through, thinking about tennis and not being on court, or was that something that was on your mind constantly?

JACK DRAPER: It was difficult because, yeah, I would say I'm someone who's all in with my tennis. Especially the years I was coming up, there wasn't a lot of time for anything else. It was just the tennis, tennis, tennis. I suppose that was a big learning experience the last year or so.

When that gets taken away from you, what else have you got going on, because tennis, you're traveling all the time, you're playing in front of people, big dopamine. You're always progressing. Wins and losses even, that gives you that fire.

Whereas not having that for a long period of time, it definitely sends you a bit. You're confused almost. I think, yeah, I tried to be preoccupied with other things. Tried to get away a little bit.

But yeah, it wasn't easy, especially not watching tennis really. I just had to stay away from it. It would wind me up to watch tennis because I wanted to be out there.

I spent a lot of time I guess working on other areas of my tennis, like my mental side. I didn't stop physically. I tried to stay as fit as I could because that's the thing, you never know when you're going to turn the corner, never know when you're going to be able to do it again.

I suppose a difficult period, yeah (smiling).

Q. When you came back in Dubai, you took part in one of those digital social videos. The question was something like, What would you write in the last note in your phone? You put, Jobs. Was that a joke? Do you remember?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I don't know. That is, yeah, I have it on I think what was your last thing in notes or something. I put down like jobs.

When something comes into my mind, whether it get my ankle braces, strings, I don't want to forget those things. Or enter a tournament. I need to remember these things. With a lot of other things going on, I make sure I put that in my notes. I said daily appearance, yeah.

Q. Have you adopted any new recovery methods? Have you taken on any high-tech recovery stuff?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, I mean, definitely you start looking into all things when you have this type of injury. Definitely looked more into my sleep, looked more into my nutrition stuff. I always did these things pretty well, but it's probably now an elite level. Ice baths. I think I turned a lot more to that sort of stuff.

I think that will help the longevity of my career hopefully, maybe going through this experience now. But it's not easy because you kind of want to be free of those things they say are eating, almost as important as your training or sleeping, making time for that. Yeah, I definitely learned a hell of a lot about that side of things.

I think it's a difficult one because most of your recovery is in those things. There's obviously loads of other bits, you can red light therapy, saunas. The big things I've definitely focused on a lot more.

Q. On the match against Taylor, what kind of a challenge is this going to present to you?

JACK DRAPER: Yeah, it obviously incredibly difficult. I knew that coming into this tournament, not being a seed, you can get anyone. I think that Taylor is an amazing competitor. We've played I think five or six times. Every time it's been a real battle. It's been about who can play better in the key moments.

I'd say also when we've played, we brought out the best in each other, as well. That's good. There's obviously not many tougher draws you can get. I think it's just important that I focus on my preparation. I believe that I can obviously win the match. But I need to play incredible tennis and need to compete really hard, need to be ready for it.