"It felt amazing. I have really felt good here, Draper said in his on-court interview. It is good to be back somewhere I have great memories, but at the same time I was a little bit under-prepared because of the amount of tennis I have missed. I was coming out today against a really formidable opponent in Roberto Bautista."
"These wins are massive for me, especially on my return to the tour. The injury I had, it wasn't like a couple of weeks – it was eight months. I missed so much competitive tennis and I do feel that. I feel a little bit off. My levels in practice are always good, but when it comes to the match court, I am definitely a bit in and out with my consistency."
Jack Draper, British men's No 1, defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to begin his Indian Wells title defence. The 24-year-old is returning from an eight-month arm injury and played his first ATP Tour event since June at Queen's, having lost in Dubai's second round the previous week. Draper struggled in the opening set but rallied strongly in the second and third sets, breaking Bautista Agut multiple times and demonstrating improved confidence with powerful returns and serves. Despite still wearing a protective sleeve, Draper secured the victory in one hour and 46 minutes, acknowledging the challenge of returning to competitive tennis after extended time away.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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