“164 Days of Hell”: Draper’s Brave Comeback Ends in Gut-Wrenching Dubai Defeat

British No.1 pushes Rinderknech to the limit but falls just short in first tournament since US Open nightmare

February 25, 2026 | 4 min read

Jack Draper waited 164 days for this moment. He made it count—just not enough.

The British No.1’s long-awaited return to the ATP Tour ended in a heartbreaking 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 second-round loss to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

After six months of rehab, doubt, and “a lot of down moments,” Draper showed flashes of the brilliance that made him world No.4. But rust, fatigue, and a relentless opponent proved too much.

Comeback Story

Draper called his first-round win over Quentin Halys “a moment I’ll never forget.” The second round showed why comebacks take time.

Duration: 2 hours, 41 minutes

Draper started flawlessly on serve, losing just two points across his first four games. But tennis is won on return games.

At 5-6 in the first set, with two break points in hand, Draper couldn’t convert. Rinderknech pounced next game. Set gone.

The second set was a battle of survival. Draper faced three break points at 3-3, saved them all, then dominated the tiebreak. For a moment, momentum shifted.

But Rinderknech’s “variation and precision on a quick surface” proved impossible to crack. One break in the decider. That’s all it took.

Draper wore a compression sleeve on his left arm throughout. But more significant was what you couldn’t see.

The 100mph forehand winner that whistled past Rinderknech proved the power is still there. The question is whether the body can sustain it.

After the match, Draper was reflective rather than devastated.

He knew this wouldn’t be easy. Six months away. A career-high ranking of No.4 now faded to No.15. A title to defend at Indian Wells next month.

But he also knows he pushed a world-class player to the edge with limited match sharpness.

Indian Wells looms. The place where Draper announced himself as a force. The title he must now defend with barely any competitive tennis experience behind him.

Draper lost. But he also won something more important: proof that the body works. That the arm holds up. That after 164 days of hell, he can still trade blows with the best.

The frustration will fade. The positives won’t.

Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport’s tennis news reporter, put it best:

“Once the feeling of frustration, which inevitably follows any defeat, subsides, Draper will reflect positively on the strides he has made in Dubai—assuming he recovers without any major issues.”

Indian Wells is next. The biggest test of his comeback awaits.

And this time, Jack Draper will be ready.

“I’m Back”: Jack Draper Returns to ATP Tour After 7-Month Injury Nightmare

Former world No.4 and Indian Wells champion ready to resume career in Dubai

February 23, 2026 | 2 min read

Jack Draper is finally back where he belongs.

The British No.1 will make his long-awaited return to the ATP Tour this week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, marking his first Tour-level appearance in seven months.

Draper hasn’t competed since cutting his 2025 season short due to injury. The former world No.4 and reigning Indian Wells champion used the Davis Cup as a warm-up, securing a victory that reignited his professional journey.

Draper will begin his campaign against either a qualifier or a lucky loser. For a player of his caliber, anything less than a deep run would be disappointing.

The ATP 500 event features a murderer’s row of talent:

Must-See First-Round Matches

The draw delivered some absolute bangers:

Tsitsipas, the defending champion, faces a brutal opener against Humbert, who won the title in 2024. That’s not a first-round match. That’s a final masquerading as an early-round eliminator.

Third seed Daniil Medvedev and fifth seed Andrey Rublev add Russian firepower to the field. But the sentimental favorite is wild card Stan Wawrinka.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is playing his final season on the ATP Tour. Dubai marks another stop on his farewell tour. He’ll open against fellow wild card Benjamin Hassan.

For Draper, this week is about more than rankings or prize money. It’s about proving the body still works. That the Indian Wells magic wasn’t a one-off. That seven months away hasn’t dimmed the talent that made him world No.4.

For the fans in Dubai, they get to witness the return of a British star. And a tournament field stacked so deep, every match feels like a final.

Welcome back, Jack. Tennis missed you.

Denis Shapovalov Blames Roger Federer for His One-Handed Backhand—And Career Disadvantage

Canadian says he chose the “dying art” because he grew up idolizing the 20-time Grand Slam champion

By Simone Brugnoli & Callum Davies
February 13, 2026 | 3 min read

Denis Shapovalov has pointed an unlikely finger at Roger Federer when explaining why his career never quite reached the heights predicted after his breakthrough win over Rafael Nadal in 2017.

The 26-year-old Canadian, once touted as a future world No. 1 and Grand Slam champion, has only flirted with the top 10, peaking at No. 10 and reaching a solitary Wimbledon semifinal in 2021. Now, speaking at the Dallas Open, he’s offered a candid explanation: his one-handed backhand—a shot he adopted because of Federer—has become a liability in the modern game.

“I Blame Roger Federer”

“In a way, the one-handed backhand represents a strength because it allows you to generate more power, find sharper angles, and be more spectacular,” Shapovalov told reporters.

“But in today’s game, it’s very much heading towards the way of having a solid two-handed backhand. The game is so quick today, it helps to have that extra arm.

“That’s why it’s so much more rare to see guys with one-handed backhands. I blame Roger Federer. I grew up watching him and wanted to play like him. That’s definitely a big reason why I have a one-hander.”

The Federer Effect

Federer’s influence on a generation of players is undeniable. Grigor Dimitrov was famously dubbed “Baby Fed.” Stefanos Tsitsipas admitted he chose the one-hander as a six-year-old watching Federer. Dominic Thiem credited Federer as the reason he stuck with the shot.

But what worked for Federer—arguably the most elegant player in history—hasn’t translated for others. The one-handed backhand requires flawless timing and footwork, and against the modern power game of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, it’s increasingly a target.

Shapovalov’s comments come as the one-handed backhand becomes increasingly rare. At the 2026 Australian Open, only a handful of players in the top 50 still used it.

Federer himself acknowledged the shot’s challenges in 2025, admitting he spent years trying to fix its inconsistencies.

Shapovalov reached the Dallas Open quarterfinals this week, keeping hopes alive that he can still fulfill some of that early promise. But his candid assessment raises a question: in the era of Alcaraz and Sinner, is there still room for Federer’s signature shot?

For Shapovalov, the answer may determine the rest of his career.