发布时间: 1/9/2026
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Jack Draper will be part of the five-man squad to face Norway in Oslo
Jack Draper’s Long-Awaited Davis Cup Comeback After Grueling Injury Layoff
Tennis fans have been eagerly waiting for Jack Draper’s return, and the wait is nearly over: the British No.1 is set to step back onto the competitive court for Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier against Norway in Oslo on February 5 and 6, marking his first match action in more than five months. For anyone following his journey, this news comes as a huge relief after a frustrating injury battle that sidelined him from multiple high-profile events.
The world No.10 had his heart set on competing in the 2025 Australian Open, but made the gut-wrenching decision to withdraw on Boxing Day due to a persistent arm injury that’s been plaguing him since last summer. Since Wimbledon 2024, Draper has only played a single singles match, leaving fans worried about his ability to bounce back at the top level of the sport.
Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith didn’t hold back his excitement at including the left-hander in his five-man squad, which also features Cameron Norrie, Jacob Fearnley, Lloyd Glasspool, and Julian Cash. “Having Jack available lets me field our absolute strongest possible team for this crucial qualifier,” Smith shared, and it’s easy to see why—Draper’s form before the injury had him sitting at a career-high No.4 in the world back in June 2024, after claiming his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.
On the other side of the net, Norway will be led by their star player Casper Ruud, the world No.12 and three-time Grand Slam finalist who’s no stranger to delivering under pressure. The stakes are high: the winner of this tie will move on to face either Australia or Ecuador in the second qualifying round this September, with a spot in the Davis Cup Finals on the line.
For Draper, this injury has been one of the toughest challenges of his young career. In a late December post on X (formerly Twitter), he opened up about how “challenging” and “complex” the recovery process has been, calling the choice to skip the Australian Open “really, really tough.” But now, with his return finally on the horizon, there’s a tangible buzz around his potential to lead Great Britain to victory.
Smith also noted that he still has the flexibility to make three changes to the squad up until the eve of the tie, but with Draper’s progress in recovery—he recently stated he’s in the “very, very end stages” of rehab—it’s clear the captain is confident in his top player’s ability to perform. For Draper, the Oslo tie will be a low-pressure chance to ease back into competition, with matches played in best-of-three sets (a far cry from the grueling five-set battles he’d face at a Grand Slam like Roland-Garros, which kicks off in late May).
When you compare this to the recent squad announcement from the US team for their clay-court tie in Hungary, where captain Bob Bryan opted for lower-ranked players Ethan Quinn and Emilio Nava over 12 higher-ranked American men, Great Britain’s decision to field their strongest possible team shows just how seriously they’re taking this Davis Cup qualifier.