Jack Draper scored a resounding victory on his long-awaited return from injury to give Great Britain a 1-0 lead over Norway in Davis Cup qualifying.
British number one Draper spent five months on the sidelines with a bruised bone in his serving arm.
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His return was twice delayed due to injury and he missed the Australian Open in January to complete his recovery.
However, he served well, moved sharply and showed brutal ball striking to defeat Viktor Durasovic 6-2 6-2 in his first competitive match in 164 days.
Tougher tests will await world number 13 Draper, ranked 300 places above Durasovic, but he will be relieved to have claimed a convincing victory after a long spell on the sidelines.
“It was a tough time but I knew I had to keep training and learning about myself,” the 24-year-old said.
Cameron Norrie will face Nicolai Budkov Kjaer later Thursday in a best-of-five match.
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Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash will team up for doubles on Friday, with two singles matches to follow if the tie has not been decided by then.
The winner of the tie in Oslo will face Australia or Ecuador for a place in the eight-team final in November.
England’s Draper said he experienced “a lot of dark moments” during his injury layoff which disrupted his breakout season.
Draper won the prestigious Masters 1,000 title at Indian Wells and reached the fourth round of the Australian and French Opens before suffering a left arm injury.
He suffered a second-round elimination at Wimbledon and played only one match before ending his season early.
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There were very few signs of rust against Durasovic, with Draper dropping just 10 points on serve, hitting eight aces and winning 88% of points on first serve.
He produced three superb passing shots – two on the backhand and one on the forehand – and moved well behind the baseline to stifle Durasovic.
He had a fast break in both sets and did not face a single break point.
Draper was taken to deuce only once, and that’s when he served for the match at 5-2 in the second. A hard-hitting forehand and a long backhand from his opponent were enough to help the Briton claim victory in just 61 minutes.
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“The amount of play to play will be a delicate balance for Draper”
Draper looked sharp in his return and there were few signs of rust in what turned out to be a very smooth ride in front of Durasovic.
The 24-year-old had the support of a large traveling team from the Lawn Tennis Association as well as his new coach Jamie Delgado.
Personal trainers don’t usually travel to Davis Cup matches, but this was the first opportunity Delgado had to see Draper in action since he took over from James Trotman in the fall.
Draper and Delgado are expected to travel to Rotterdam after this draw for the British number one’s return to the ATP Tour.
How much to play and how often to rest will be a delicate balance to find over the coming months.
