Jack Draper has delayed his return to the Tour due to an ongoing injury that has resulted in him playing just one match since Wimbledon.
The Brit confirmed on Friday that he will not be playing at next month’s Australian Open due to concerns he may not be ready in time to play best-of-five set matches. He reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park earlier this year in what was his best performance at the Grand Slam so far in his career. Overall, he has made three main draw appearances in Australia.
Draper, who has reached a ranking high of No.4, has been dealing with discomfort in his left arm and was diagnosed with bone bruising after Wimbledon. He then didn’t hit any serves for a month before going to the US Open, where he played in the mixed doubles event and then the first round of the men’s tournament before withdrawing due to injury. He then chose to end his season due to the issue.
“Unfortunately, me and my team have decided not to head out to Australia this year,” Draper said in a video published on social media.
“It’s a really, really tough decision. Obviously, Australia being a Grand Slam, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in our sport.
“However, I’ve had this injury for a long time. I’m at the very, very end stages of the process and to step back on court into best-of-five set tennis so soon just doesn’t seem like the smart decision right now for me and my tennis.”
There had been concerns that Draper would not be playing in Australia leading up to his announcement after he was forced to pull out of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) event in London earlier this month. At the time, he said he wasn’t ready to play.
It is a frustrating situation for the 24-year-old, who has enjoyed numerous breakthroughs in 2025 before his injury setback. In March, he won the biggest title of his career at the Indian Wells Masters before going on to reach another Masters 1000 final on the clay in Madrid, losing to Casper Ruud. He also reached the final of an ATP 500 event in Doha, Qatar.
“I’ve obviously been through a fair amount of setbacks so far,” he continued.
“But by far and away, this one’s been the most difficult, the most challenging and the most complex one that I’ve had.
“It’s weird. It always seems to manage to make me more resilient, to make me hungrier, to make me want to become the player I want to become even more.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there in 2026 and competing.”
Draper is coached by Jamie Delgado, who has previously worked with Andy Murray. Delgardo joined his team in October following the departure of James Trotman, who left the team after four years to spend more time with his family.
There has yet to be any comment on which tournament Draper is aiming to start his comeback at.
