Jack Draper pulled out of the 2026 Australian Open almost a month before the tournament starts. It’s a huge blow for the British player who’s been battling injuries all year.
The timing tells you everything. When a player withdraws this early, you know the injury’s serious.
Draper’s been one of the best players on tour in 2025, but he’s also been one of the most injury-prone. It’s become a frustrating pattern in his career – just when he starts building momentum, his body lets him down.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Draper | 24 | 1,131 | 13 - 12 |
Same Injury, Six Months Later
The left-arm injury that’s keeping him out started way back at Wimbledon 2025. That’s almost half a year of dealing with the same problem.
Since his second-round loss at Wimbledon, Draper’s barely played. He managed one match at the US Open – a first-round win – then had to withdraw from that tournament too.
Now he’s missing the opening Grand Slam of 2026, which runs from January 18th to February 1st in Melbourne.
Instead of the usual written statement, Draper shared the news in a video on social media. You could tell this wasn’t an easy decision.
"Hello everybody, instead of writing out a message, I thought I’d send a little video recording to let you know of my progress. Unfortunately me and my team have decided not to head out to Australia this year."
The Toughest Call
Draper admitted this was really difficult. The Australian Open is one of tennis’s four biggest tournaments – missing it hurts.
"It’s a really, really tough decision with Australia being a Grand Slam and one of the biggest tournaments in our sport. However, I’ve had this injury for a long time. I’m at the very, very end stages of the process."
The key phrase there? Very, very end stages. That suggests he’s close to being healthy again, but not quite ready for the brutal demands of best-of-five-set tennis.
Grand Slam matches can go on for hours. If you’re not 100% physically ready, you’re asking for trouble.
"To step back on court into best-of-five-set tennis so soon just doesn’t seem like a smart decision for me and my tennis."
The Most Complex Setback Yet
This isn’t Draper’s first injury rodeo. The 23-year-old has dealt with physical problems throughout his career, but this one’s different.
"I’ve obviously been through a fair amount of setbacks so far but by far and away, this one has been the most difficult, the most challenging and the most complex one that I’ve had."
Complex – that’s the word that stands out. It suggests this isn’t just a simple strain or pull that heals with rest.
But here’s what’s impressive about Draper’s mindset:
"It’s weird, it always seems to make me more resilient, to make me hungrier to become the player I want to become even more."
Looking Forward to 2026
The good news? Draper sounds optimistic about returning later in 2026.
"I’m looking forward to getting back out there in 2026 and competing. I just want to thank everyone for all the support in 2025."
That suggests we might see him back on court for the spring tournaments, maybe even the French Open in late May.
For British tennis fans, this is tough to watch. Draper’s shown he can compete with the world’s best when he’s healthy. The question now is whether he can finally put together a full season without major injury problems.
His team’s being smart about this withdrawal. Better to miss one tournament and come back properly healthy than to rush back and potentially make things worse.
"It means the world to me to be competing and to be playing out there on the tour with the other guys. I’m looking forward to doing that again."
The Australian Open will definitely miss having one of the tour’s most exciting young talents. But if this extended break finally gets Draper’s body right, it could be the best decision of his career.
