Why Jack Draper will be under immense pressure when he returns following Monte-Carlo withdrawal

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Jack Draper has withdrawn from the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters.

After losing his opening match in Miami, Draper decided to delay the start of his clay-court campaign.

A decision that could prove costly, given his current position in the world rankings…

Jack Draper could drop out of the world’s top 40 next month

Draper, ranked as high as fourth in the world last year, now sits 25th in the ATP rankings.

Official ATP Rankings

The Briton has experienced a steady ranking decline ever since his injury issues began last summer.

His latest dip came upon the conclusion of Indian Wells, where he lost in the quarterfinals.

Having won the title in 2025, Draper dropped 800 points from his total.

Unfortunately for Draper, the bad news doesn’t stop there.

When he returns to tennis, possibly at the Madrid Open, he’ll have another chunk of points to defend.

In 2025, Draper reached the final of the Madrid Open, earning himself 650 points.

If he were to drop those points from his current tally, he’d fall out of the world’s top 40.

ATP Rankings without Jack Draper’s 2025 Madrid Open final points

A worrying prospect for a player who was touted as one of the biggest threats to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance this time last year…

Now, there’s no reason to pencil in an early exit for Draper in the Spanish capital, as he could well reach the latter stages, just as he did in 2025.

But the fact that he’s skipping Monte-Carlo means there is really no room for error.

Had he made the fourth round or the quarter-finals of both Monte-Carlo and Madrid, he may have clung on to a top-40 place heading into the Italian Open, where he’ll have another 200 points to defend.

Instead, he’ll return to Madrid with the pressure on, knowing how much every win means for his place in the world rankings.

It’s important to note that this isn’t Draper’s fault, as injuries affect even the very best players in men’s tennis.

Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, his latest series of injuries began right as he was emerging as a real challenger inside the top five.

The situation isn’t ideal, but how well has Draper actually performed in 2026?

Jack Draper’s 2026 season so far

• February – Helped Great Britain defeat Norway at the Davis Cup (1-0)
• February – Reached last 16 of the Dubai Tennis Championships (1-1)
• March – Reached QF of Indian Wells (3-1)
• March – Lost in 2R of the Miami Open (0-1)
• Live ATP Race – 74th (260 points)

Only returning last month, Draper has played a handful of tournaments, picking up 260 ranking points, enough to see him sit 74th in the ‘Live ATP Race’.

The hope for Draper and his many fans is that if he can stay fit, he’ll shoot up the ATP rankings and the ‘ATP Race’ in no time.

Whether or not that wish will come true remains to be seen.

Has Jack Draper lost his chance to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?

There was a genuine argument to be made that Draper was the third-best player on the ATP Tour last year.

That’s clearly not the case anymore.

But does that mean he can no longer challenge the world’s top two players?

Of course not!

Even since returning, Draper has delivered several impressive performances.

At Indian Wells, Draper defeated Novak Djokovic, taking down the 24-time Grand Slam champion in three sets.

Yes, there are more trendy names thrown about in the ‘new big three’ conversation, like Arthur Fils and Learner Tien, but Draper’s talent shouldn’t be forgotten.

If, and it is admittedly a big if, he can stay fit for an extended period, we may well see him return to the top-10 and begin challenging for some of the sport’s most prestigious titles.