Jack Draper exited from Wimbledon in the second round
Jack Draper's preparations for 2026 have begun much earlier than expected
A serving arm issue has restricted him to just one singles match since the grass-court major - and forced him to end his season early after pain became unbearable at the New York major in late summer
Recovery Progress
But the young British top-ten player is resuming practice, and organizers of a three-day event in the capital in the final month are confident he will be fit to play
Draper is planning to make his return at the showcase event in the English capital, having been granted a special invitation by Patrick Mouratoglou
"He expressed certainty - otherwise he wouldn't accept to be included," the renowned coach commented
"I'm sure he will participate. The only thing you can do is give it time to recover. He's going to take a extended period before competing again"
Injury Management
"You can't play on a bone contusion, because the next stage is a stress fracture and you cannot risk the possibility to have a bone injury"
"When you have a bone bruise on the arm, you can perform a lot of fitness, so you stay in shape. It's annoying because you need to stop entirely and wait until it's completely clean again"
Current Activities
Draper was showcasing upcoming season's line for one of his sponsors recently and has been working out consistently at the National Tennis Centre in the city
The training is primarily physical at the moment, and when pre-season training starts in full swing later this month, the first tennis exercises are expected to be low in intensity
Recovery History
The top-ranked UK player first felt discomfort in his upper left serving arm during the spring European swing in the spring, and following a scan after the Championships, did not hit any serves for a month
But the recovery time wasn't enough. He won his first-round match at the US Open, but withdrew before the next round, and the chance to make his debut at the year-end championships was gone
"He ranks among the best and he played half of the year. Just to say how talented he is..." Mouratoglou continued
"The main challenge for the time being is the physical issues: he has been through several injuries already in the earlier career"
Future Prospects
"I always thought he was going to be a top player, but for all athletes that is expected to become a top player, there are challenges to solve"
"For him, the key is discovering a method to be injury free as often as feasible because that's what caused him to miss a significant period or else he would be higher among competitors, I think"
Event Details
The prestigious event will be staged at the London arena from early December
Draper won the competition in last year and pocketed what was then the largest prize money of his professional journey
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud will additionally be in the select player group for matches played over short timed periods
- Only 15 seconds are allowed between rallies
- There is no second serve
- Special advantages can be activated to increase the points of the next point by multiple times
