Jack Draper’s US Open campaign ended in disappointment, after the Briton was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
Last year’s semifinalist was off to a shaky start at Flushing Meadows, conceding a set to Argentinian qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez in his first-round clash.
Though he was able to pull through and win the match, Draper later withdrew from the event before the second round, in which he was scheduled to face Zizou Bergs.
He announced on X that he felt discomfort in his arm during the bout with Gomez, revealing that the pain had become ‘too much’.
Having advanced to the final four in New York in 2024, Draper‘s failure to defend his points will see him drop out of the top five.
It’s another setback for the 23-year-old, but British tennis legend Tim Henman thinks it was the right decision for him to pull out, and has a goal in mind for his compatriot come the end of the year.
Tim Henman says Jack Draper’s withdrawal from the US Open is ‘frustrating’
Reacting to Draper’s withdrawal on Sky Sports, Henman said: “I’m certainly no medical expert, but what I do understand about bone bruising is it does take quite some time.
“You think and reflect that Jack hasn’t played a match in 53 days, from Wimbledon to the US Open. He has come out there, put in a solid performance—four sets, three hours—and you know it’s not right.
“You would probably think it’s not gonna be any better in a week or two weeks, and it’s so frustrating because Jack set himself up so well this year with the way that he played: winning Masters 1000s, accumulating a lot of points.
“Certainly, a goal would be to qualify for Turin for the tour-ending championships. To pull out second round of a Slam when there are so many points available, not just for him but for everyone else, is tough.
“It will be interesting to see what the next few weeks and months entail for Jack, but we wish him a speedy recovery.
“It’s certainly the right decision just to get his body 100%, because we’re not looking at the next weeks and years. It’s the next decade, hopefully, for Jack.”
Jack Draper’s points loss after withdrawing from the US Open
After losing points from missing both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open, Draper’s withdrawal from the US Open will see another hit to his ranking.
He will lose 750 more points, and his live ATP ranking is now seventh in the world, which could drop even further.
Henman’s target for Draper is to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals, which he may now struggle to do if his injury keeps him out for much longer.
He is currently seventh in the ‘Race To Turin’, and must be in the top eight to qualify, but the likes of Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti do not trail by much, and could close in on his position.
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