Jack Draper Withdraws From US Open as Injury Struggles Continue

Jack Draper Withdraws From US Open as Injury Struggles Continue

British tennis star Jack Draper has withdrawn from the 2026 US Open as he continues to recover from a bone bruise in his dominant left arm.

The former world No. 4 made the decision after returning to competition at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, where he struggled physically and mentally following a lengthy period of injury problems.

Draper has not played in a Grand Slam singles tournament this year and will now miss the US Open, which begins on August 30.

His withdrawal came just hours after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner announced that he would also miss the tournament because of a knee injury. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, is expected to return after a four-month absence caused by a wrist injury.

Draper described his current situation as a difficult period after losing to Martin Landaluce in Cincinnati.

“It’s a difficult place to be right now.”

The 24-year-old has also spoken openly about the impact of his persistent left-arm problem, which has affected his ability to compete at his best.

“It’s got to a point with me where it’s taken probably one of my biggest qualities, my fighting spirit.”

Draper has made several adjustments in an effort to reduce the strain on his left arm. Since Wimbledon, he has changed his strings and racket while also continuing to modify his service motion.

Sky Sports analyst Annabel Croft believes withdrawing from the US Open could give Draper valuable time to address the problem rather than risk another setback at a Grand Slam.

“Maybe this is a good decision because to go into a Grand Slam, it’s best of five sets and it’s absolutely brutal.”

Croft also highlighted the emotional difficulty of Draper’s situation, noting that he has previously shown he can compete against the world's best players.

Draper reached the US Open semi-finals in 2024 and has established himself as one of Britain's leading men's players when healthy.

His latest withdrawal adds to a difficult injury timeline. He missed much of the period between September 2025 and January 2026, returned in February, then suffered another setback with a knee injury in Barcelona in April.

He returned at Eastbourne in June before withdrawing from Wimbledon, and later made his comeback at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati.

Former player and coach Ryan Harrison also questioned whether the modern tennis calendar is placing increasing physical demands on players.

“The body pays for that price.”

Harrison pointed to the length of the season, slower courts and increasingly physical rallies as factors that can make it harder for players to remain healthy.

Draper will now have more time to focus on recovering from the left-arm injury before considering his return to competitive tennis.

The 2026 US Open begins on August 30, with Draper among the notable absentees from the tournament.

Analysis: Jack Draper’s US Open Withdrawal Shows Why Tennis Can Be a Brutal Sport

Jack Draper’s withdrawal from the 2026 US Open is disappointing for British tennis, but it also raises a much bigger question: how much can a professional tennis player’s body realistically take?

Draper has reached world No. 4, competed against the best players in the world and reached the US Open semi-finals. Yet this season, his biggest opponent has not been Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic.

It has been his own body.

The 24-year-old has been dealing with a bone bruise in his dominant left arm, and after returning to competition in North America, he has decided that another Grand Slam is simply too much right now.

That decision may frustrate fans, but it could also be one of the smartest decisions of his career.

Draper is not walking away because he cannot play tennis

This is an important distinction.

Draper has already proved that he can play at the highest level. Reaching No. 4 in the world does not happen by accident. Neither does reaching a Grand Slam semi-final.

His current problem is availability.

A player can have world-class talent and still struggle if the body refuses to cooperate. It is rather like owning a Ferrari but discovering that the engine has decided it wants a quiet life in the garage.

That is essentially Draper’s problem.

The talent is still there. The question is whether his body can allow him to use it consistently.

The left-arm injury has become a constant battle

Draper has been unusually open about the physical and mental difficulties surrounding his injury.

After his Cincinnati defeat to Martin Landaluce, he admitted that he was in a difficult place mentally.

He said:

«“It’s a difficult place to be right now.”»

That statement is revealing because professional athletes are usually trained to project confidence. They win, smile, answer questions and move on.

But injuries can create a completely different psychological environment.

Instead of thinking only about winning the next point, a player can start thinking about whether the next serve will hurt.

Instead of asking, “Can I beat this opponent?” the mind may ask, “Will my arm survive another three sets?”

That is not an easy way to play tennis.

His fighting spirit has taken a hit

Perhaps the most worrying part of Draper's comments was his admission that the injury has affected one of his greatest strengths.

He said:

«“It’s got to a point with me where it’s taken probably one of my biggest qualities, my fighting spirit.”»

That matters.

Draper's reputation has partly been built around his competitiveness. He is the kind of player who can stay in difficult matches and keep pushing.

But chronic pain can change that.

Imagine trying to run a marathon while someone keeps whispering, “Are you sure your leg is okay?”

Eventually, even the most positive athlete starts listening.

For Draper, that constant physical concern appears to have become exhausting.

Why withdrawing from the US Open makes sense

The US Open is not a normal tournament.

A Grand Slam requires players to potentially win seven matches. In the men's singles, matches are best-of-five sets, meaning the physical demands can become enormous.

Players can spend hours on court, recover, practise, travel and then do it all over again.

If Draper is already struggling with his arm, entering the tournament would have created a huge physical gamble.

Annabel Croft made the same point when discussing his withdrawal.

She described Grand Slam tennis as:

«“absolutely brutal.”»

That is probably one of the simplest ways to describe it.

The US Open is not the place to discover halfway through the second round that your body has filed a formal complaint.

The timing is particularly unfortunate

Draper's withdrawal came shortly after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner announced that he would miss the tournament because of a knee injury.

That means another major name will be absent when the US Open begins on August 30.

For tennis fans, this is frustrating.

The sport spends months building anticipation for Grand Slam tournaments. Fans debate the favourites, dream about blockbuster matches and imagine possible finals.

Then the injury list arrives like an unwanted guest at a party.

Sinner is out.

Draper is out.

Carlos Alcaraz is returning after a lengthy injury absence.

Suddenly, the men's draw looks very different from what many fans might have imagined several months ago.

Draper's ranking is another concern

There is also a practical problem waiting for Draper.

Injuries do not just take away matches. They can also take away ranking points.

Draper has already fallen significantly from his career-high ranking of No. 4.

That creates a difficult situation when he eventually returns.

The lower a player's ranking becomes, the harder it can be to receive favourable tournament draws.

A top player can suddenly find himself facing another dangerous opponent much earlier than expected.

That means Draper's comeback will involve more than simply getting healthy.

He will also need to rebuild his ranking.

And that means playing matches.

Which creates the obvious problem: he needs to play matches to rebuild his ranking, but he needs to stay healthy to play matches.

Welcome to professional tennis mathematics.

Modern tennis is becoming increasingly physical

Draper's situation also feeds into a wider discussion about the modern game.

Ryan Harrison argued that today's tennis is placing enormous physical demands on players.

He pointed to the long season, slower courts and increasingly physical rallies.

His conclusion was particularly striking:

«“The body pays for that price.”»

There is some logic behind the argument.

Today's players are incredibly athletic. They move faster, hit harder and defend points that previous generations might have considered impossible.

That produces spectacular tennis.

But it also means more running, more sudden changes of direction and more repeated stress on the body.

The fans get five-set classics.

The players get ice packs.

Everybody wins.

Well, perhaps not everybody.

Should tennis change its schedule?

This is where the conversation becomes complicated.

Tennis is a global sport with tournaments around the world, major sponsors and enormous financial interests.

Reducing tournaments sounds simple until you remember that every tournament has organisers, broadcasters, sponsors, players and fans.

Annabel Croft acknowledged that changing the calendar would be difficult because many tournaments are independently owned.

So there is no magic button marked “MAKE TENNIS LESS EXHAUSTING.”

The sport has to balance entertainment with player welfare.

That is not easy.

Fans want more tennis.

Players need more recovery.

Broadcasters want more events.

Bodies want weekends off.

Unfortunately, the bodies do not get a vote.

Draper's mental health is part of the story too

The physical injury is only one side of this situation.

Draper has spoken about mental fatigue after spending so much time dealing with injuries.

That is something sports fans sometimes underestimate.

When an athlete is injured, the public often thinks:

“Just recover and come back.”

But recovery can be frustrating.

There are exercises, treatment, rehabilitation, uncertainty and repeated attempts to return.

Then comes the fear of getting injured again.

For an athlete whose career depends on movement and physical confidence, that can become mentally exhausting.

Draper's honesty about that struggle deserves attention.

He is not simply missing a tournament.

He is trying to find a sustainable way back.

The biggest mistake would be rushing

Perhaps the worst thing Draper could do now is rush back simply because he feels pressure to return.

He is still only 24.

That is young enough to have many years of elite tennis ahead of him.

There is no reason to sacrifice the next five years because of a desperate attempt to save one tournament.

His career needs to be viewed as a marathon rather than a single Grand Slam.

If he takes the necessary time, gets the arm problem under control and rebuilds his confidence, he can potentially return much stronger.

But if he repeatedly returns before his body is ready, the cycle could continue.

Injured.

Return.

Compete.

Pain.

Withdraw.

Repeat.

That is a tennis playlist nobody wants.

What Draper's future could look like

The encouraging part is that Draper's previous achievements have already established his ceiling.

He knows how to compete with elite players.

He knows how to handle major tournaments.

He knows what it feels like to be ranked inside the world's top five.

Those experiences do not disappear because of an injury.

The challenge is rebuilding the physical foundation that allowed him to reach that level.

If Draper can do that, his ranking can follow.

He may have to work his way back through tournaments, accept difficult draws and patiently collect wins.

But that process could also make his eventual return more meaningful.

Final verdict

Jack Draper's US Open withdrawal is undeniably disappointing.

For British tennis fans, it removes one of their biggest hopes from the tournament. For Draper himself, however, the decision could be an important step toward protecting the rest of his career.

His comments show that this is not simply a minor physical issue. The injury has affected his confidence, fighting spirit and mental wellbeing.

That is why forcing himself into another Grand Slam would make little sense.

Draper does not need to prove that he can play tennis.

He already has.

He needs to prove that he can stay healthy long enough to play it consistently.

The US Open will continue without him, and tennis will move on.

But Draper's story is far from finished.

At 24, there is still plenty of time for a comeback.

The real victory for Draper now may not be winning a trophy.

It may simply be reaching the point where he can walk onto a tennis court, pick up his racket and think about the opponent again — rather than wondering what part of his body is going to complain first.