Jack Draper Aspires for ‘Consistency’ as he Aims to Break the Dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026

Jack Draper is close to making his comeback after three months out with an arm injury. The British number one has been away from competition since early in the season.

Before he was sidelined, Draper looked like a strong challenger to rising stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. His progress will be more gradual when he starts next year. Draper said in an interview on Tennis Majors:

I’m returning to the court with energy and a desire to compete. I want to be among the best and keep improving. With hard work, my team, and staying injury-free, I believe I can reach the top. I’d like to get past the semifinals, be among the top four in Grand Slams, break into the top 10, and win more ATP 250 and ATP 500 tournaments. I want more consistency in the big events and to go further. Alcaraz and Sinner are way ahead; now it’s up to the newer players to challenge them and end their dominance.

Even so, Draper has set his long-term goal of competing with Alcaraz and Sinner once he is fully fit again. He remains confident about getting back to their level. Draper will restart his season at the UTS Grand Finals. He has also confirmed entries for the United Cup and the Auckland Open as he works his way back.

Jack Draper recalls season-ending injury

British tennis star Jack Draper looked to be on course to complete the new Big 3 circle with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz this year. However, a devastating injury struck at the end of the season, causing him to sit out for the remainder of 2025.

It was very difficult to accept, but sport has its ups and downs. I was on an incredible trajectory; my tennis and my physical condition were constantly improving. Adversity always makes me stronger, so I try not to stagnate and keep moving forward. I took the opportunity to look to the future. I hope the best years of my career are still to come; I’m 23. Tennis keeps you busy, so it was great to take my first vacation in ten years: I went to Portugal to relax and disconnect from tennis, keeping my body in good shape.

Draper even had success against Alcaraz in 2025. The British man beat the current World No.1 in the Indian Wells semifinals enroute to his first Masters 1000 title.

After reaching the semifinals in Madrid, Draper became the first player from his country to reach the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings since Andy Murray. However, despite a good clay court season, things were going to regress afterwards.

He fell in the second round of Wimbledon to Marin Cilic, a match in which he was considered to have a shot at bringing back the memories that Murray produced in 2013 and 2016. Then an arm injury at the US Open completely extinguished his season.

Jannik Sinner reaches the finals of the ATP Finals

Jannik Sinner reached the Nitto ATP Finals title match for the third straight year after a strong win over Alex de Minaur. He took the match 7-5, 6-2 and continued his unbeaten record against the Australian.

Throughout the group stage, Sinner never lost a set or his serve. In the semifinal, he stayed calm in the first set and finally broke on his eighth chance. In the second set, his pace and clean hitting proved too much for De Minaur.

Sinner has now won 30 indoor matches in a row. His last indoor loss was to Novak Djokovic in the final in Turin two years ago. Since then, he has picked up titles in Rotterdam, Turin, Vienna and Paris, and helped Italy win two Davis Cups.

In Sunday’s final, the second seed will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Felix Auger-Aliassime. Alcaraz went 3-0 in the group stage to secure the Year-End No. 1 ranking, ending Sinner’s bid for the top spot. Sinner now leads De Minaur 13-0 in their career meetings.

Also Read: Jim Courier Convinced Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Will Complete a Clean Sweep of Majors in 2026

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