Jack Draper’s injury troubles have kept him from competing throughout a large portion of 2025.
The Brit started the year with a bang, rising to world number four after a title win in Indian Wells and a final appearance at the Madrid Open.
However, his fortunes have since taken a sharp nosedive.
The Brit has been plagued by a left arm injury since Wimbledon. Due to the issue, Draper skipped tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati before withdrawing ahead of his second-round match at the US Open.
The Brit then announced he would be absent from ATP Tour competition for the rest of 2025.
During his absence, fellow British player Cameron Norrie has overtaken Draper’s win total for 2025.
Five weeks ago, Draper’s return to the court was confirmed: he will play in the UTS Grand Final, which is scheduled to take place from December 5 to 7.
On Tuesday, Draper’s participation in another event was confirmed.
Jack Draper and Alexandra Eala are set to play in the Macau Tennis Masters
On Tuesday, the Macau Tennis Masters announced the lineup for its 2025 event, which is set to take place from December 27 to 28.
Jack Draper and Alexandra Eala are set to participate alongside a host of well-known figures.
Young Russian star Mirra Andreeva will be competing, as well as Chinese player Shang Juncheng, and Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik.
The team captains will be former Australian Open champion Li Na and 1994 Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion Conchita Martinez – who is Mirra Andreeva’s coach.
The Macau Tennis Masters is an exhibition event that was first established in 2023. That year, Taylor Fritz, Daria Kasatkina, Zhang Zhizhen, Tallon Griekspoor, Wang Xinyu and Borna Coric competed at the event.
In 2024, Li Na led a team featuring Casper Ruud, Shang Juncheng and Xinyu Wang. The opposing team, managed by Michael Chang, featured Karolina Muchova, Lorenzo Musetti and Andrey Rublev.
Is this a smart decision by Draper?
On the face of it, this appears to be an excellent decision.
The Brit needs ‘reps’ ahead of the 2026 season, and competing in an exhibition event ahead of the turn of the year will provide the opportunity to do just that ahead of the Australian Open.
Going into the new season without some form of semi-competitive play would have been a mistake, as Draper would have limited knowledge regarding the health of his arm when in a competitive environment.
Consequently, Draper will be able to use this tournament, as well as the UTS tournament, to gauge how his left arm injury has recovered.
