Jack Draper injury woes have returned.
Draper, the former world number four, was due to play Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon first round on Tuesday.
Unfortunately for the British star, he has suffered a recurrence of the arm injury that left him sidelined for the majority of last year.
“There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months,” Draper said in a statement.
Where will Jack Draper be ranked by the end of 2026?
“But this one is definitely the absolute worst, as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon.”
Tim Henman, the former British number one, has reacted to the news of Draper’s withdrawal.
Tim Henman reacts to ‘frustrating’ Jack Draper injury
“It’s so frustrating when you think this time last year he was coming in playing the best tennis of his life,” Henman [pictured below] said while commentating for the BBC on Monday afternoon.
“He was top five in the world and had beaten [Carlos] Alcaraz to win Indian Wells, he had been in the finals of Madrid on clay, he was fourth round of the French [Open].
“He was coming into the grass court season with his high hopes and the hopes of a nation but since then he has literally only played about three tournaments.
Jack Draper’s 2026 campaign so far
- Davis Cup: defeated Viktor Durasovic in a singles rubber, helping Great Britain defeat Norway
- Dubai Tennis Championships: defeated Quentin Halys before losing to Arthur Rinderknech
- Indian Wells: defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals. Lost to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev
- Miami Open: lost to Reilly Opelka in the first round
- Barcelona Open: retired injured vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round
- Eastbourne Open: defeated Jack Pinnington Jones and Gabriel Diallo en route to the semi-finals. Lost to Ugo Humbert
“He played one match at the US Open in September and then did not play again until March at Indian Wells and he played well, beat Djokovic, but his body has just not been able to stand up.”
Draper’s latest setback is certainly concerning. The British superstar has played so little tennis over the past year, yet his body continues to fail him.
It is an unfortunate state of affairs, and one hopes that Draper will be able to overcome his physical toils in the near future.
Jack Draper’s injury timeline
Draper’s career on the ATP Tour has been plagued by injury – particularly over the course of the last year.
The Briton suffered a bone bruise in his arm at Wimbledon 2025, and the Briton subsequently missed the majority of the North American hard-court swing.
Draper then returned at the US Open and won his first-round match against Federico Agustin Gomez.
He then withdrew ahead of his second round match against Zizou Bergs.
“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,” Draper said in a social media post.
Draper made his return in February this year, representing Great Britain in the Davis Cup.
He went on to play events in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, securing impressive victories over the likes of Francisco Cerundolo and Novak Djokovic.
Draper then suffered a knee injury during his first-round match at the Barcelona Open in April.
This injury kept him on the sidelines until the Eastbourne Open, which took place last week.
