Jack Draper Reflects on His Worrying Decline Following A String of Injuries in the Last Twelve Months

This time last year, Jack Draper was ranked World No.4 on tour and had reached the semi-finals of the Queen’s Club Championships. Today, he’s ranked No. 160, having played in fewer than 8 tournaments since June 2026. However, he’s set to mark his return from injury at the Eastbourne International.

Draper was regarded as one of the favorites to win last year’s Wimbledon Championship following his run at the French Open. The British star was dubbed the next Andy Murray on the men’s circuit and was competing at a level comparable to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, winning titles.

But he suffered arm and knee injuries, which forced him to be out for the majority of the second half of the season. Each time he announced progress in his recovery from an injury, there was often another setback that would ultimately force him to withdraw from a tournament. It happened ahead of the Australian Open in January.

The 24-year-old has not played a tour-level match since the Barcelona Open, where he was down in the second set against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. He has hired three-time Grand Slam champion Murray to help him recover and get to his best level ahead of the grass-court Grand Slam event in London.

He will face American star Brandon Nakashima in his opening match at the Eastbourne International and Murray will be in his coaching box for the first time. In his opening media interview, Draper reflected on how the injuries have been tough for him to bear and has felt lonely on many occasions.

Tennis is a tough sport because I was top 10 in the world, doing great things, and you’re losing your ranking every week. It’s not like a football team where you can have a substitute come in and take your place. It’s like you’re watching your decline. Ut’s tough but I think I’ve learnt a massive amount about my body in the last year. I’ve had a lot of injuries but I’m not an injured athlete, I don’t believe I’m an injured athlete – I’m a strong athlete.

Draper’s last tour-level win came against Novak Djokovic at the Indian Wells Open in March. The former British No.1 pulled off a three-set victory over the Serbian legend to reach the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 tournament. However, he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the next round.

Jack Draper targets playing more consistently on tour after return from injury

One of the major issues with injuries on tour is the likelihood of sustaining another injury after a short period of time on the court. An injury forces a player to be sidelined for a while, which in some cases prevents them from playing. During that period, the body gets used to rest and less competitive action.

So, when it is sprung into action in a tournament after recovery, the body sometimes gets stretched and sustains another injury. That’s what Jack Draper is trying to avoid following his return to the tour in Eastbourne. He pointed out in the aforementioned press conference that he’s not only focused on playing Wimbledon but also on other events:

I’m not coming back just to play here on the grass. I don’t know how these competitions (Eastbourne and Wimbledon) are going to go in terms of my wins and the losses, which is hard to say because obviously it’s two tournaments I want to do incredibly well at, but I want this period to be past me now of dipping in and out of the tour and coming back for one week or two weeks.

Rune will not apply pressure on himself at Eastbourne. Should he lose in the early rounds, he’s likely to remain focused on getting to his best level on the court rather than worrying about the loss. This is vital, as it will likely reduce his chances of another injury over the next couple of weeks on tour.

Also Read: Holger Rune Unwilling to “Put A Date” On His Return fromis From Injury