Jack Draper’s season has taken a dramatic turn. The 24‑year‑old left‑handed Briton, who was once perched inside the ATP top‑30 and even flirted with a career‑high ranking of world No. 4, has now fallen out of the top‑100 after a string of injuries and withdrawals. His latest setbacks—a lingering arm problem followed by a worsening knee tendon injury—forced him to pull out of the French Open, leaving him to contemplate a very different path toward Wimbledon, where he could potentially meet world No.
1 Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic or a fit Carlos Alcaraz in the opening round. Since his return to competition in February, Draper has managed only nine matches across five tournaments. The most recent of those was a first‑round clash at the Barcelona Open, where he retired against Tomas Etcheverry after his knee gave way. Medical examinations later confirmed that the tendon injury in his right knee had been aggravated, adding another hurdle to his recovery plan.
The knee issue follows a six‑month hiatus that began with a nagging left‑arm injury that kept him out of the Australian Open and forced him to miss the early part of the 2024 season. When he finally stepped back onto the court in February, hopes were high that the Brit would quickly regain his form.
Instead, the combination of the arm and knee problems has limited his ability to train at full intensity and to compete in the grueling best‑of‑five format that the Grand Slam events demand. Last year Draper’s breakout year saw him collect 680 ranking points by reaching the final of the Madrid Open, in addition to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, finals appearances in Doha and Madrid, a quarter‑final run at the Italian Open, and a fourth‑round showing at Roland‑Garros.
Those achievements propelled him to a career‑high No. 28 in the rankings. However, the points he earned at the Madrid Open, the Rome Masters and the French Open will all drop off after this week, erasing roughly 850 points from his total. As a result, he is projected to slide to around No.
49 before the drop, and then tumble outside the top‑100 once the French Open points expire. Because the Wimbledon entry cut‑off occurs before his ranking falls out of the top‑100, Draper will still be able to enter the tournament directly, but he will do so unseeded.
That means he could draw a top seed in the first round, a scenario that would make his path through the grass‑court season considerably tougher. The British player has already indicated that he will skip the physically demanding best‑of‑five matches at Roland‑Garros to focus on a full recovery for the grass swing, a decision that has drawn both sympathy and criticism from former players. Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli explained the dilemma: "We knew it would be a tough year to come back after injury, but it’s always disappointing to miss a Grand Slam.
The decision to pull out early is similar to what Carlos Alcaraz faced – the injury must be serious enough that playing a five‑set match on clay would be too risky." She added that the unique demands of the French Open—slow surface, long rallies, and extended matches—require a player to be at 100 % fitness, something Draper cannot guarantee at the moment. British doubles specialist Colin Fleming echoed those concerns, pointing out that the best‑of‑five format was also a factor in Draper’s withdrawal from the Australian Open. "He was back on court with his arm healed, but the question was whether he could handle a five‑set Grand Slam on clay.
It’s not just about showing up; it’s about being ready to compete at the highest level," Fleming said. Looking ahead, Draper’s next realistic opportunity to test his fitness will likely come at the grass‑court events in Stuttgart, where he captured his first title of 2024, and the Queen’s Club Championships the following week.
Those tournaments provide a gentler transition back to match play, with best‑of‑three sets and a surface that suits his aggressive baseline game. When Draper made his return at Indian Wells earlier this year—only his second ATP event after a long injury layoff—he produced one of the season’s most memorable upsets, defeating Novak Djokovic and reaching the quarter‑finals. That performance reminded fans and analysts alike of his immense talent and potential. However, as Bartoli noted, the mental strain of watching peers compete while being sidelined can be just as taxing as the physical rehabilitation.
"You can recover physically, but mentally it’s hard to sit on the sidelines and watch others play the sport you love," she said. Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has also urged caution.
On his podcast, he warned that the sudden shift from a healed shoulder to a problematic knee could derail the momentum Draper was building. "You have six to seven months off, you start to get momentum, then a new injury appears.
It’s disconcerting. The best players give themselves the time they need, because rushing back can lead to another setback," Rusedski explained.
In summary, Draper’s immediate future hinges on careful management of his knee and a gradual build‑up of match fitness on grass. If he can stay healthy, he will have a chance to prove his worth at Wimbledon, even if it means facing a top seed right away.
Missing the French Open and dropping out of the top‑100 are setbacks, but they do not erase the promise he showed last season. The next few weeks will be critical in determining whether he can return to the form that saw him challenge the world’s elite and claim a Masters 1000 crown. The tennis world will be watching closely as he navigates this pivotal chapter of his career.