Top British player Jack Draper has withdrawn from this week’s Shanghai Masters due to an abdominal injury he suffered in Tokyo.
At the Japan Open last Sunday, the 22-year-old withdrew from his quarter-final match against Ugo Humbert of France. Draper needed medical attention for an abdominal issue and, despite his best efforts, had to end the day at 7-5, 2-1 down.
Draper’s team believe the trip from Tokyo to Shanghai was too swift, and they do not yet know the full degree of the injury.
Draper’s athletic season so far
Since qualifying for the US Open semi-finals earlier this month, Draper had not participated in an ATP event until the Japan Open. The world No. 20 athlete also played in the Davis Cup for Great Britain, but he lost both his matches.
In round two in Shanghai, Draper would have faced either Hugo Gaston or Jaume Munar after receiving a bye in the first round.
After suffering a hip injury, Jack Draper has cancelled a planned training week with world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in preparation for the Australian Open.
Before the new season, the British No. 1, who took home his maiden ATP 500 championship at the Vienna Open last October, was scheduled to join Alcaraz in Spain, but he will now only be able to work out and train in the gym.
Draper said: “I’ve been working incredibly hard the last couple of weeks to get myself to hopefully improve for next year… I did have a little bit of a niggle in my hip area and in terms of going away to Spain and training at that level of intensity with Carlos, I had to make that call because it’s not fair on him if I go, and I am not 100%… It was something that we were really excited about, and something me and [his coach] James [Trotman] had been talking about for a while.”
He added: “To try to go out and hit with the best players in the world and get that exposure to the highest level possible on a regular basis to get prepared for the New Year…I don’t think it’s anything too serious but, because of tennis and the way it is with timelines and short turnarounds, it’s important that I look after my body, and important that I don’t try and do anything to potentially make it worse and jeopardise the start of my season.”
Draper for the United Cup
Draper is a member of the Great Britain team for the United Cup, which will start on December 27. However, following his injury, it is unclear if he will be able to compete in the event, especially if he wishes to be ready for the Australian Open.
Regarding his chances of competing, Draper remained hesitant. Along with Katie Boulter, he is one of the top players on Great Britain’s team for the event in Sydney and Perth.
“I really want to play the United Cup. But it’s obviously a long season and the United Cup is at the very start… So what’s more in my mind is that I’m going to be able to go to Australia healthy, and not just healthy but having trained well and be in a good place ready to play some really good tennis there,” he said.
The 2024 season was somewhat of a breakthrough for Draper, as he also won the Stuttgart title and advanced to the US Open semi-finals.
Jack Draper, the newly crowned British men’s number one, thinks that achieving his maiden ATP victory has strengthened his belief that he can rank among the top players in the world.
With his victory at the Stuttgart Open, the youngster concluded an incredible playing experience in which he rose to the top of his country’s rankings. Since Andy Murray in 2009, Draper is the youngest British men’s number one, now ranked 31st in the world.
Murray remarked that Draper could go places and reach the top of the world rankings.
Following this compliment, Draper declared: “It’s amazing to hear that from someone like Andy… Being the number one Brit is a huge honour and a huge privilege, I know, but I hadn’t thought about that at all.”
“My goal is to be one of the top players in the world,” he added.
On having injuries and fitness issues
Although Draper has always been seen to have the skill to succeed in the game, his development has been hindered by fitness and injury concerns. A shoulder problem ruled him out of the British grass-court season last year.
Draper said: “It’s been tough, I have been close a few times and not quite getting it over the line… I think it really changes my belief system a little bit as well as to what I can achieve.”
He added: “Winning a title helps me to believe more and more.”
Now, he will play his first match on home soil as the top-ranked British player when he takes on Mariano Navone of Argentina.
In light of his recent US Open performance, Jack Draper has stated that he intends to look into the ailment plaguing him regularly during important matches. Draper advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final, but world No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated him in straight sets, causing him to throw up three times on the court.
Draper acknowledged the difficulties and disclosed that he is generally an anxious person, raising the possibility that this is a factor in his problems.
He was sick soon after winning a hard-fought match in the Australian Open’s opening round in January. He blamed the extreme psychological strain of the high-stakes match for his abrupt illness.
Although the physical effects of competition are widely understood, the mental strain may frequently be equally severe. In this instance, the strain of the circumstances appeared to have a major emotional cost, which impacted Draper’s well-being following his victory.
Draper said; “I’m definitely going to go home… you know, this has happened a few times now, in different situations for me, I’m going to really look into it”
“In both my training and mentality, I always push my body to its limits. Since I am doing enough, I don’t need to worry about sort of not doing enough, which suggests that a lot of my problems are psychological in nature.”
He added, “I’m sure I’ll figure out all these problems with my team, but yeah, it’s good that I’m sort of not the finished article yet.”
Just a year ago, the 22-year-old left-hander was rated 123rd in the world. Next week, he is expected to make his maiden appearance in the top 20. His significant improvement and commitment over the previous year are highlighted by his quick ascent in the rankings.
He stressed the value of mental toughness as he looked back on his journey. He emphasized how a concentrated mindset has been essential to his success by saying, “I believe working on the mental side of the game is a huge factor.”
Jack Draper’s meteoric rise — from underdog to U.S. Open semi-finalist
British sensation Jack Draper’s incredible journey at the U.S. Open took a monumental leap forward on Wednesday as he clinched his maiden Grand Slam semi-final spot, marking a historic moment for the 25th seed.
The young Brit’s triumphant march at Flushing Meadows hit a new high when he defeated Alex de Minaur, securing his place in the last four and becoming the first British man to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals since Andy Murray’s 2012 run.
According to a news report published by CNA, Draper, who has been in the shadows until now, has exploded onto the scene with a string of impressive victories. The 22-year-old, who had never advanced beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam, has only one ATP Tour title to his name and spent a significant part of 2023 battling a shoulder injury.
Jack Draper’s turning point
Reflecting on his journey, Draper shared, “Last year was a real turning point for me. I had to watch all these young, amazing players winning tournaments while I was sidelined with my shoulder injury. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to get to that level myself. But this success hasn’t come overnight. I’ve believed for a long time that I’ve been putting in the work and doing the right things. I knew my time would come.”
Draper’s perfect record at the U.S. Open this year, with five wins and not a single set lost, speaks volumes of his form and determination. Yet, he remains confident in his ability to compete over the full five sets, should the need arise. “I’ve been feeling like a more complete player. Physically, I’ve always had concerns about playing five sets, but I’m ready to go the distance if I need to,” he added.
Etching a name in British tennis history
The road to the final is far from easy, with Draper set to face either Jannik Sinner, the Australian Open champion, or Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open winner, in the semi-finals.
Draper has experience against both players, having beaten Sinner on grass in 2021 and lost to Medvedev at the Italian Open earlier this year. “Playing both of them before helps. When I faced Daniil in Rome, I didn’t know what to expect. Playing the best players in the world, you think they’ll be too good for you. But if you put your game on the court and do the right things, you get chances,” Draper noted.
As the U.S. Open semi-finals loom, all eyes are on Draper to see if he can continue his remarkable rise and etch his name into British tennis history.
Jack Draper says he can compete against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the 2025 season
Jack Draper, the number one player in Britain, is sure he has what it takes to compete against top-ranked players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the upcoming 2025 season.
In 2024, he achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 15, climbed out of the top 60, made it to his first Grand Slam semifinal, and won both his first ATP championship and, more significantly, his first ATP 500 title.
With this, Draper admitted: “I think I do belong at the top of the game with all the weapons I have at my disposal, and mentality and all these things… Obviously there’s so much to improve, but I think just the main thing is experience of playing these matches week in, week out.”
However, the 23-year-old is currently recovering from a hip injury that could affect his 2025 Australian Open participation. He has already been forced to withdraw from the United Cup due to the injury. Despite all his setbacks last season, he regained the ability to take challenging matches in his stride.
Draper said: “I love competing, I love the battle, I love playing in front of big crowds… There’s nowhere I’d rather be in the world than on that court then.”
Draper: “My mindset and my tactical awareness and my general confidence has changed”
Despite Draper’s outstanding 2024 season, the year witnessed a growing gulf between Sinner and Alcaraz and the rest of the pack, as Sinner and Alcaraz split this year’s four major awards evenly.
“I think everyone’s different, but one thing they would have in common is that, especially those two, they’re not afraid to go after the ball when it matters, and they’re not afraid to put their tennis on the line and really show their character,” Draper stated.
He added: “I think about how much my mindset and my tactical awareness and my general confidence has changed since the summer time. It’s just keeping on learning what I need to do in order to be more consistent at winning at the highest level.”
