Former British No. 1 Jack Draper set to miss US Open as injury problems persist
By Ben Morse
Updated 21/08/2026 at 18:13 GMT+1
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On the same day Jannik Sinner pulled out of the US Open due to injury, British star Jack Draper is set to follow suit as his own fitness problems continue. It is the latest setback for the 24-year-old, who has endured an injury-hit year, struggling with a persistent arm injury that saw him miss several tournaments after Wimbledon in 2025.
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According to sources close to Draper who spoke to Sky Sports, he has concluded he needs more time to recover from his injuries.
By withdrawing from the US Open, Draper will not have competed in a Grand Slam in 2026.
His world ranking has dropped as low as No. 160 - he is now at No. 143 - having reached world No. 4 in 2025, the year he won a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.
Draper most recently played at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, but was defeated in straight sets by Martin Landaluce.
Before that, he had featured at the Canadian Open, but was dumped out in the first round.
During the defeat to Terence Atmane in Montreal, Draper was visibly upset as he sat in his chair, wiping tears from his eyes.
Afterward, the British player described hitting "rock bottom" this summer as his injury woes persisted.
"Last week came from a place of, I think I had so much to focus on and manage, so much change going on in my tennis," he told the Guardian.
"I got to four in the world through doing the same things, the consistent work, the differences, and then went through this whole process of a lot of setbacks and a lot of struggle.
"That's taken a lot out of me. But then, at the same time, I'm in a position where I'm having to start again. That reality is difficult sometimes.
"The reason I got emotional was that through all the challenges, you can forget who you are on the court. And last week I felt like I couldn't give any more.
"I was emotional because I didn’t recognise the player I was out on the court due to my injuries and due to probably the way I’ve been feeling for a long time.
"When you reach rock bottom like that, you can come back up again.
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"Since then I’ve practised really well, I've had amazing support from the people around me, and you get to a point more and more of acceptance. We've definitely reached that acceptance phase now."
The news comes on the same day as Sinner confirmed he will not be playing at Flushing Meadows because of a knee injury, saying he is "very sad and disappointed" to be ruled out of the final tennis major of the year.
The US Open begins on Sunday, August 30 in New York.
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