Jack Draper falls to Arthur Rinderknech in second round at Dubai

Jack Draper, the British number one, was defeated in the second round by Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, in what was a frustrating conclusion to his much-anticipated comeback into the ATP Tour.

Draper, 24, had not played on the men's circuit since the US Open six months earlier, and he made the most of a successful injury return by going up against Quentin Halys on Monday in a straight-sets win.

His run was stopped two days later, though, when world number 31 Rinderknech just squeaked out a 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 victory.

Draper, who has been ranked 15th in the world since the defeat, previously 4th in the world, has missed much of the season with a bruised bone in his service arm.

The injury initially manifested itself in the clay-court swing in April, compelling him to pull out of the US Open and abort his 2025 campaign.

Draper began strongly against Rinderknech, losing only two points in his first four service games, but most importantly, he could not convert early break points, giving the Frenchman a chance to take the first set.

Draper was taken to a tense tie-break in the second set, but Rinderknech eventually served to win the third set in order to cement his position in the quarter-finals against Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev.

Reflecting on his return, Draper said: “I’m really proud to make a winning return to the tour following a lot of down moments over the last eight months.”

Although he lost, his comeback brought about a sense of fortitude and an indication of a promising recovery of his shape in the coming months.