Jack Draper made his much-anticipated return to tennis with a 6-4 7-6(5) victory over Marcos Giron at the Eastbourne Open on Monday. The British No. 3, now ranked world No. 160 after a year plagued by injury and illness, decided last minute to play the ATP 250 event. He had not featured on tour since handing Tomas Etcheverry a walkover in the first round of the Barcelona Open, which forced him out of the French Open last month. He also pulled out of the Australian Open earlier this year, citing that he did not feel ready physically.
Murray watches on as Draper battles through
With three-time Grand Slam champion Sir Andy Murray now in his corner as a coach, Draper is back on the eve of Wimbledon, hoping to build momentum on grass ahead of his home Slam. There were flashes of brilliance from the Brit on the Sussex coast, with temperatures soaring to 28 degrees Celsius at points. He dictated play with his trademark left-handed forehand and showcased the crushing serve that had become feared within the men's game.
The first set was a slog against his American opponent, lucky loser Giron, who was beaten by Draper's compatriot Jan Choinski in three tight sets on Sunday. Giron filled in at the last for Brandon Nakashima, the fifth seed, who pulled out on Monday morning with a back injury. The world No. 86 could swing freely, and his power and laser-like accuracy—particularly off his delivery—proved a problem for Draper, as Murray signalled encouragement from the courtside box.
Breakthrough and second-set struggle
Draper finally found the breakthrough at the end of the first set, breaking Giron, who undid himself at the crucial moment with a double fault. The second set proved another tough task as the sun shone brighter and the air got stickier. A few unforced errors off both flanks had Draper begin to show signs of frustration, cueing murmurs of unrest among the home crowd.
The 24-year-old spurned the chance to serve the match out at 5-2 up, but some carelessness and a resurgence from Giron brought it back to 5-5, before the American forced a tiebreak. Giron turned on the style in the breaker, going up a mini-break as concern began to settle in, but Draper was able to turn it around. A final forehand flourish was what he needed to send him sailing into the second round, where he will face British wildcard Jack Pinnington Jones, who produced a superb comeback victory in three sets over Argentine Marco Trungelliti earlier in the day on Centre Court.
