Jack Draper will drop to his lowest ranking for two years after withdrawing from the next two Masters 1000 events due to injury.
The Brit had faced a race against time to be fit for this week’s Madrid Masters after retiring from his first round match at the Barcelona Open last week due to a knee injury. Following that match, Draper pledged to resolve his injury issues after a frustrating past year on the Tour. Barcelona was only the fourth ATP event he has played in since returning to action following a five-month spell on the sidelines due to bone bruising in his serving arm.
“I’ve tried hard these last months to stay positive and give my all. It will take time, but I will work my way out of this. Thank you for all the support throughout this process.” Draper wrote on Instagram on April 14th.
Draper’s latest problem is a knee tendon injury, which has ruled him out of both the Madrid and Italian Open. As a result, he may not play any lead-up events heading into the French Open if he is fit enough to do so. However, there are events taking place in Hamburg and Geneva a week before the Grand Slam starts.
“An aggravated tendon in my knee means I am not able to play in Madrid and Rome,” Draper confirmed on Monday.
“It’s frustrating for sure, but I am thankful it isn’t anything more serious.
“Recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there.”
Madrid was a key tournament for Draper’s ranking, with the 24-year-old defending a large amount of points after reaching the final 12 months ago before losing to Casper Ruud. Currently in 28th place, he will soon drop out of the world’s top 40 for the first time since April 2024.
Since the start of 2026, Draper has played eight matches on the ATP Tour, winning half of them. His best result was at Indian Wells, where he beat Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals. However, since then, he lost his opening match in Miami before retiring in Barcelona.
Draper has won three Tour titles in his career and been ranked as high as fourth in the world. His best Grand Slam performance was reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 US Open.
