The statistics for return of serve always make for interesting reading and the opening couple of months of 2024 have thrown up a surprise leader.

World No 1 Novak Djokovic is widely hailed as the best returner of serve in the game, but he was not at his best in the only tournament he has played so far this year.

Djokovic struggled to hit his familiar heights of brilliance in Melbourne as he appeared to be struggling with a virus and that may have impacted his performances at the Australian Open.

It also affected his ranking in the ATP Tour’s returner statistics, with Great Britain’s Jack Draper topping the list on that statistic heading into the ‘Sunshine Double’ of ATP 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.

Draper has been in impressive form in recent months, with his victory in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final in London last December giving him a launchpad for more this year.

He has caught the eye with some impressive performances on the ATP Tour, including a run to the final of a tournament in Adelaide in January and he also impressed by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament in Acapulco last month, before being forced to pull out due to illness.

The ATP statistics confirm Draper is top of their returner numbers for 2024, as he has won an impressive 32.6% of points against his opponent’s first serve.

Draper has also impressed on second serve return points, winning 52.8% of points against his rivals.

He tops the charts for break points converted with 49.8% and he has won 30.3% of games against the serve, with only world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz beating him on that statistic with 30.5%.

Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is second in the ATP returners list for this year, with Alcaraz in third place and the in-form Argentine Sebastian Baez in fourth spot.

World No 4 Daniil Medvedev is next on the list ahead of Alex de Minaur, with Djokovic next on the list ahead of what will be only his second tournament of the season at Indian Well.

Given Draper’s mighty first serve, these statistics make him one of the most dangerous players on the ATP Tour right now, as he packs a punch on his own serve and is clearly making big improvements on his returning game.

“I had to learn a lot about myself last year, and I dropped outside the top 100,” said Draper

“I had to grind myself back. I feel like I’m just a lot stronger mentally and I have a lot more perspective of being in a good position.

“I was gutted to miss Wimbledon last summer. Watching it on TV and seeing all the hype around it was tough. Not being able to play at Queen’s and Eastbourne was also frustrating.

“In terms of my tennis, I feel like I’m improving. I’m trying to come forward more.

“I’m trying to win the points instead of letting the other players make a mistake or something, which is what I feel like I was trying to do last year. I feel like both things I’ve improved.”

When asked to give a verdict on where he wants to take his ranking by the end of the year, Draper didn’t hold back with his ambition.

“I have spoken about rankings goals with my coach and if I can stay injury-free and stay on the trajectory I have been on since last summer, there is no reason why I can’t be ranked in the top 20 by the end of this year,” he continued.

“That’s my goal, that’s where I want to be. I know I can go a lot further than that, but one step at a time and that’s a good goal for me.”