Jack Draper: I didn’t serve for a month after summer arm injury

NEW YORK—Jack Draper went from a spring renaissance to a summer of discontent in 2025, the world No. 5 searching for a reset button at the US Open after missing the last six weeks of tournaments due to an arm injury.

“I had some bone stress, bone bruising, in my humerus on my left side,” the 2024 semifinalist explained in his Media Day press conference. “It is one of those where, yeah, if you keep playing with it, it could become very, very serious. So, I had to take some time out.”

Novak Djokovic discussed hopes someone would play the “Djoker role” in the growing ATP duopoly shared between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, and for a period of eight weeks, Draper looked primed to take that place. The Brit won his first Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open and broke new ground on clay, finishing runner-up at the Mutua Madrid Open.

It was during the clay-court swing when Draper, dressed in new sponsor Vuori for his media sppearances, first began to feel the effects of the injury to his left arm.

“I felt like my arm was shutting down a little bit when I was hitting forehands—and on the serve, as well,” recalled Draper, the fifth seed at this year’s US Open. “It kind of got progressively a bit worse. Then on the grass it got quite painful. So, didn't know what I was kind of dealing with.”

Draper made the fourth round of Roland Garros and the semifinals of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, but bottomed out of Wimbledon, his home Grand Slam, in the second round. Despite playing through pain, the 23-year-old refused to blame the injury for his four-set loss to Marin Cilic.

“I think the grass was mainly due to the fact that I just didn't adapt well enough to the grass,” said Draper. “Yeah, I got beaten by a better player on the day at Wimbledon.”

From there, Draper underwent tests and opted out of the two Masters 1000 tournaments that highlight the North American hard-court swing, making the US Open his first tournament in nearly two months.

I have been looking after this for the last month or so, so I'm looking forward to just getting back competing. I think that will take my mind off a lot of things, as well. Jack Draper on his comeback from injury

“I didn't hit any serves for about a month,” revealed Draper. “Then groundies, I was able to hit after maybe two-and-a-half weeks. It was decent from that point on. Obviously had to build my load up. I couldn't do a lot straightaway.”

Draper, who wore a compression sleeve on his left arm to practice on Saturday, got some matches under his belt earlier this week when he partnered Jessica Pegula to reach the semifinals of mixed doubles. While he says the arm has largely healed, fears of a flare-up have been in the bac of his mind.

“A bone can heal, but it might be giving me some discomfort, that's for sure,” said Draper, who plays his first round of men’s singles against Federico Gomez.

“It's not something which I'm going to go out on Monday and feel like it's holding me back at all. But at the same time, you know, like, I have been looking after this for the last month or so, so I'm looking forward to just getting back competing. I think that will take my mind off a lot of things, as well.”

With his health trending back up, Draper has taken time to improve his overall physicality from his last appearance in Flushing Meadows, where he dealt with sickness during his semifinal against eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

“I think part of it is kind of, you know, my genetics and sort of growing into, like, kind of a bit more of a man's body. I think that took me a long time, and also playing more and more this last little period has been amazing.

“I have had another block again to get some work in me because in tennis you just never really get that time to step off the rabbit wheel and get some work and get improved in your body again. I didn't do a preseason at the end of last year. So it feels really good.

“I have started to really enjoy improving in that aspect, as well. Before I was kind of like I didn't really want to push myself. I didn't really want to feel strong almost. But I feel great in myself now and I understand the benefits it has on the match court and on these big stages, as well.”

Placed in the top half of the draw, Draper could get a big-stage rematch with Sinner in the quarterfinals.