British No.1 Jack Draper Withdraws From Wimbledon Due To Recurring Arm Injury

Jack Draper has described himself as “devastated” after being forced to withdraw from Wimbledon just a day before his opening match, with a recurring arm injury once again halting his progress at a Grand Slam.

The British number one had been set for a high-profile Centre Court meeting on Tuesday against American sixth seed Taylor Fritz, fresh off a promising run to the semi-finals at the Eastbourne Open last week. Instead, the same long-standing arm issue that has disrupted much of his career over the past year has resurfaced, ruling him out of his home Grand Slam.

“I’m devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” said Draper.

“There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months, but this one is definitely the absolute worst.”

He’s not the only British star to pull out of the tournament with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu having to withdraw from The Championships due to a stress fracture.

Draper had appeared in good spirits earlier in the weekend and spoke to media without any indication that the bone bruising in his serving arm had flared up again. He had also recently returned to competition in Eastbourne after a two-month break, part of a stop-start period that has defined his season.

Despite his own struggles, Draper has previously raised concerns about the wider physical demands on the tour, describing the situation among leading players as “pretty worrying”.

Reflecting on the toll of repeated setbacks, the 24-year-old added: “It’s been an incredibly long process.

“It’s taken a lot out of me mentally coming back and back and back.”

Draper’s last year has been heavily disrupted, with the bruised humerus in his arm limiting him to just 15 matches over the past 12 months. A knee tendon issue earlier in the season further interrupted his comeback, and he had already been absent for over two months before returning at Eastbourne.

This latest withdrawal means he will miss a third consecutive Grand Slam, and crucially, another opportunity to compete at Wimbledon, where he has been tipped for a deep run in recent years.

His arm problem first became significant during the 2025 clay season, and it also affected him during last year’s Wimbledon, where he lost in the second round to well-rounded veteran Marin Čilić.

After a win at the US Open, he was eventually forced to end his season early as the issue worsened.

There have still been flashes of his potential when fit. Draper returned to the ATP Tour in February and reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in March, where he was defending champion and recorded a notable win over Novak Djokovic along the way.

Consistency has proved difficult for Draper. A retirement in Barcelona during the clay swing and another break from competition followed, with the Brit later withdrawing from Queen’s despite suggesting his recovery was progressing well.

He had said at the time his return at Eastbourne was slightly delayed but felt he was close to full fitness, stating his recovery was “going in the right direction” but he needed “one more week”.

Draper did manage some practice sessions at Wimbledon over the weekend, but did not appear on court on Monday before withdrawing shortly afterwards.

Former British number one Tim Henman said the situation was particularly frustrating given Draper’s recent rise.

“It is so frustrating when you think this time last year Draper was playing the best tennis of his life,” he told BBC Sport. “His body just hasn’t been able to stand up.”

Over the past two seasons, Draper had begun to establish himself as one of the sport’s most promising players, highlighted by a breakthrough run to the US Open semi-finals and a major title at Indian Wells, which briefly propelled him into the world’s top five.

With his powerful left-handed serve and aggressive forehand, he had been widely seen as one of the few players capable of consistently challenging the dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

“When you have something that stops you in your tracks when you’re not expecting it, it’s really difficult to accept – especially after coming through what you have in the past,” Draper said.

“I didn’t know I was going to have the year I’ve had with the injuries, not being able to play too much, watching your ranking drop all the way down again to the start.

“You always have to look at the positive side of things. I have to rebuild myself and I have to start again almost.”

Draper had also recently brought former world number one Andy Murray into his coaching setup for the grass-court season, though the pair will not now appear together at Wimbledon this year.

Both remain hopeful the partnership can continue in the longer term, but the immediate focus is once again on recovery rather than competition.