The British No. 1 will miss the Australian Open due to a persistent arm ailment that has already cost him months of his season. Jack Draper has made the decision that no tennis player wants to make.
The 24-year-old acknowledged that although the choice was difficult, it was eventually necessary. Draper and his team decided that pushing his body now would run the danger of escalating a persistent issue into something much more serious, given the demands of five-set tennis in Melbourne.
Draper remarked, “It was a really tough decision.” One of the largest competitions in our sport takes place in Australia. However, I’ve had this ailment for a while, and it doesn’t seem wise to immediately return to best-of-five matches at this time.”
Draper, who started the year in scorching form, has only participated in one singles match since Wimbledon.
His top left serving arm began to hurt during the spring clay-court season, but he tried to cope with it during the grass swing until the problem ultimately required attention.
His brief comeback at the US Open came to an abrupt end. The intricacy of the ailment was further demonstrated by the cancellation of a scheduled return at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London in December.
Given the heights Draper attained earlier this year, the setback is especially harsh. He established himself as one of the top players in the sport by winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeating Holger Rune in the championship match, and rising to a career-high world No. 4.
Durability, however, is still an open question. Citing numerous setbacks and the psychological toll of a protracted rehabilitation, Draper called this the most challenging injury of his career.
His absence from the ATP Tour will be at least five months due to missing the Australian Open, which is a significant cost. However, the message is plain for a player who is still only 24: it’s better to miss one Grand Slam than take a chance on many more.
