Fears regarding Jack Draper’s injury situation have been realised after the British number one withdrew from the US Open on Wednesday afternoon.
After being shocked by Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon second round, Draper withdrew from both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, citing a left-arm injury.
Draper performed admirably at the 2024 US Open, reaching the semi-final stage, and there were high hopes for the Brit heading into this year’s tournament.
However, following a first-round victory over qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez on Monday, Draper has announced his withdrawal from the US Open.
On Wednesday afternoon, Draper posted on X [Twitter], saying: “Hi guys, I’m sorry to say I’ll be withdrawing from the US Open.
“I tried my very best to be here and give myself every chance to play, but the discomfort in my arm has become too much, and I have to do what is right and look after myself. Thank you for all the support.”
Following the announcement, former British number one Tim Henman expressed his worry for Draper.
Tim Henman explains the ‘obvious concern’ for Jack Draper
Two former British number one players, Laura Robson and Tim Henman, discussed Draper’s US Open withdrawal on Sky Sports shortly after the announcement was made.
Robson began the discussion, noting the effect of match intensity on injury recovery.
Robson said: “They worked so hard in those weeks after Wimbledon to try and get it perfect, but like we were saying, that match intensity just changes things.
“So you don’t ever fully know until you step out there and play all out, first serve after first serve, and it was just too much.”
Henman continued the discussion, pinpointing a clear-cut concern for Draper.
He said: “The obvious concern is that Jack hasn’t played since Wimbledon, he has taken a cautious approach and been off the match court for 53 days.
“He has played one match and it’s not good. You would have thought it is still going to take quite some time to recover.
“He has had such a good year and is right up there in the race to Turin, which is going to be a massive priority for him.
“So it’s very frustrating that he hasn’t been able to compete in a tournament that he did so well at last year.”
Jack Draper falls to world number seven
Jack Draper’s status as world number five has been ended after his US Open withdrawal.
In 2024, Draper reached the US Open semi-finals, meaning he earned 720 ATP points. In 2025, his withdrawal in the second round means he will win just 45 ATP points.
| Tournament | Round | ATP Points |
| 2024 US Open | Semi-final | 800 |
| 2025 US Open | Second Round | 50 |
Consequently, Draper will lose 750 ATP points upon the US Open’s completion on September 7.
As per the ATP live rankings, both Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic will overtake Draper, sending the British star back down to world number seven.
Draper could fall even further, with Karen Khachanov, Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti not far behind the British number one in terms of current ranking points.
