Jack Draper’s return to tennis hit yet another stumbling block after he pulled out of the UTS Grand Finals in London.
The British star has not played since the US Open following an arm injury that has hampered him throughout the year.
Draper will now return at the United Cup, where he will represent Great Britain alongside Emma Raducanu and Mimi Xu.
The star will be thrust straight back into competitive action, which has led to tennis journalist David Law expressing his concern.
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Draper’s withdrawing from the UTS Grand Finals sent alarm bells through the tennis world after how long the British star has been missing from action.
David Law joined the growing number of pundits and former players who are concerned about Draper’s fitness.
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On The Tennis Podcast, he said: “It concerned me hearing it because we heard just how motivated he was, how upbeat he felt about managing to get out there on the court again and start hitting serves.
“And we’ve seen some video clips of that. And he was very clear that he was going to play this event, and this would be his first sort of little dipping the toe back in, and then the goal was to get out there and be properly out there in Australia and relaunch his season.
“Let’s not forget just what an amazing first six months of the year he had in ’25. And that’s what he’s looking for again, and then hopefully more beyond that. Going straight into competition is really hard.
“You don’t really want to be doing that sort of thing from zero to that. You want something like these semi-competitive exhibition-type events, where you can feel some of the nerves and the pressures.”
The journalist also believes the extended lack of action could prove a mental issue as well as a physical issue.
“We heard Andy Murray talking about what kind of nervousness does to pain and those sorts of things. Look, I just hope the best for him. I can’t give you much more insight on that.
“And I think the problem is that he can’t either, really. I mean, yes, he can tell you what doctors have said and but as you say, he’s not even able to really do much.
“You know, he’s got to rest this thing, it seems. And then when he starts, the pain comes back.”
Draper is expected to make his fully-fledged singles return at the 2026 Australian Open at the end of January.
Why Jack Draper pulled out of the UTS Grand Finals
Draper’s niggling injury continues to cause him aggravation, particularly as it is featured on his serving arm.
On social media, Draper wrote: “I’ve been working hard to get ready for the UTS but frustratingly I’m just not quite ready.
“It’s a tough call as I want nothing more than to compete but I’ve been advised to take more time. Sorry to let down fans and miss out on the event.”
Draper’s injury came at an incredibly unfortunate time, as the British star was beginning to assert himself as one of the best players in the world.
The star won his first Masters title at Indian Wells and followed it up by reaching the final of the Madrid Open.
The Brit reached a career ranking high of World No. 4 after his performances on the ATP Tour this season.
