Jack Draper Shares Disappointing Update After Pulling Out of the Australian Open

Jack Draper has been under the injury microscope since the US Open earlier this year.

Jack Draper Shares Disappointing Update After Pulling Out of the Australian Open

Jack Draper (image via Matt Fitzgerald)

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Just when things might be looking up, and the momentum is finally swinging in the right direction, fate decides to serve a double fault. And right now, the player on the receiving end of that bad luck is none other than Jack Draper.

If the fans were gearing up to watch the British No. 1 tear up the courts in Melbourne next month, they must consider sitting down. Draper has officially pulled out of the 2026 Australian Open. The left-hander won’t be going Down Under.

It wasn’t a decision made lightly. In a video update posted to X, Draper broke the news himself. He looked gutted. He said on X:

Hello everybody, instead of writing out a message, I thought I’d send a little video recording to let you know of my progress. Unfortunately me and my team have decided not to head out to Australia this year. It’s a really, really tough decision with Australia being a Grand Slam and one of the biggest tournaments in our sport. However I’ve had this injury for a long time. I’m at the very, very end stages of the process. To step back on court into best-of-five-set tennis so soon just doesn’t seem like a smart decision for me and my tennis.

It’s a mature decision, even if it’s incredibly frustrating for everyone watching from the sidelines. The fans want to see him play, but nobody wants to see him break down on court in round one because he rushed back too soon.

The injury curse strikes Jack Draper again

Jack Draper has had rotten luck with injuries. In 2023, a shoulder injury sidelined him for months. Then there was the abdominal issue the following year.

Jack Draper Rafael Nadal
Jack Draper Rafael Nadal (via The Tennis Letter)

This latest setback stems from an arm problem that’s been nagging him since the US Open back in August. He hasn’t played a competitive match since withdrawing from the second round against Zizou Bergs.

He admitted in his video that this particular injury has been the “most difficult, the most challenging, and the most complex” one yet. When a professional athlete uses the word “complex” to describe an injury, it’s not just a matter of icing it and popping a few ibuprofen.

Highs and lows of a rollercoaster season for Jack Draper

It’s even more tragic when the fans remember how good Jack Draper looked earlier in the 2025 season. The guy was on fire. He won his first-ever Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, taking down Carlos Alcaraz on the way.

Jack Draper
Jack Draper (Image via X/Barstool Tennis)

He hit a career-high ranking of world No. 4. For a minute there, it looked like he was finally going to be the consistent force in men’s tennis that Britain has been craving since Andy Murray’s hip decided to retire.

The irony here is painful. Just days before this announcement, footage surfaced of Draper seemingly telling fans he would be in Australia. It just goes to show how quickly things change behind the scenes.

Also Read: Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Calls Victoria Mboko and Joao Fonseca ‘Future of Tennis’ After Breakthrough Season