Draper 'ready to kick on' at Eastbourne after injury

British tennis player Jack Draper says he is feeling "better than ever" as he prepares to make his return to competitive tennis following a two-month injury lay off.

The 24-year-old is due to play at the Eastbourne Tennis Open on Monday, taking on fifth seed Brandon Nakashima in the first round.

Speaking to BBC South East, the Surrey-based player said: "Last time I played here in 2022 it was a good week, I broke the top 100 for the first time and beat some really good players.

"There's been lots of ups and downs since then but I'm in a really good space now, ready to kick on. I'm looking forward to getting back on the court."

The Eastbourne Open, which this year runs until Saturday, will see 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz and 2025 Australian Open winner Madison Keys competing.

The tournament brought about 46,000 visitors to the town in 2025, a local councillor told the BBC ahead of the tournament starting.

Despite the tournament being downgraded in 2025, it has still managed to attract international talent who use the event to prepare for Wimbledon, like Draper.

He is also now under the guidance of former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.

Draper said: "I know he [Murray] brings a lot but he's very calm, which is interesting because maybe it's not the Andy Murray that people recognise from being the competitor.

"He has a really calming influence on me in terms of the way he delivers information on the court but also off the court - he's very, very supportive.

"There's no-one better than him to help guide me and to support me, especially now but moving forward hopefully as well."

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