Jack Draper’s Hard Call: British No.1 Opts Out Of Australian Open

Last Updated:December 27, 2025, 09:00 IST

Jack Draper, British No.1, will miss the Australian Open due to a persistent arm injury, extending his ATP Tour absence to five months after a breakthrough year at Indian Wells.

Jack Draper has made the call no tennis player wants to make — the British No.1 will miss the Australian Open as he continues to battle a stubborn arm injury that has already stolen months of his season.

The 24-year-old admitted the decision was agonising, but ultimately unavoidable. With the demands of five-set tennis looming in Melbourne, Draper and his team agreed that pushing his body now would risk turning a lingering problem into something far more serious.

“It was a really tough decision,” Draper said. “Australia is one of the biggest tournaments in our sport. But I’ve had this injury for a long time, and jumping straight back into best-of-five matches just doesn’t seem smart right now.”

Draper has played just one singles match since Wimbledon, a startling absence for a player who began the year in blistering form.

Discomfort in his upper left serving arm first emerged during the clay-court season in the spring, but he attempted to manage it through the grass swing before the issue finally forced a reckoning.

His brief return at the US Open ended abruptly. A planned comeback at December’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London was also abandoned, underlining the complexity of the injury.

The setback is particularly cruel given the heights Draper reached earlier this year. He claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeated Holger Rune in the final, and surged to a career-high world No.4, firmly establishing himself among the sport’s elite.

Yet durability remains the unanswered question. Draper described this as the most difficult injury of his career, citing repeated setbacks and the mental toll of prolonged recovery.

Missing the Australian Open means his absence from the ATP Tour will stretch to at least five months — a heavy price to pay. But for a player still only 24, the message is clear: better to miss one Grand Slam than risk many more.

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