Jack Draper withdraws from Wimbledon with arm injury setback

Jack Draper pulled out of Wimbledon on Monday with a recurrence of his arm injury, ending his bid to face sixth seed Taylor Fritz in the first round at The Championships on Tuesday. The withdrawal stripped the All England Club draw of the highest-profile British man left in the field and left Dusan Lajovic to step in against Fritz.

Draper said he was “devastated” to miss what he called the “absolute worst” moment of the past 12 months, after injury setbacks repeatedly interrupted the season. He said there was “no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon” and vowed that he would “continue to persevere” through the recovery.

The latest blow comes after a year in which Draper’s body has dictated the rhythm of his career. He played only one singles match between Wimbledon 2025 and February 2026 because of a bone bruise to his left humerus, then missed much of the clay-court season after a knee injury. ATP data shows he has played only five ATP Tour tournaments this season, and his ranking has fallen outside the world’s top 100 after he reached a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2025.

Draper had briefly raised hopes of an on-time return by reaching the semi-finals in Eastbourne last week, while working with coach Andy Murray. That progress was not enough to get him through to the opening round at Wimbledon, where he had been scheduled to play Fritz in a match that carried obvious weight for British tennis. His withdrawal also came just after Emma Raducanu pulled out with a stress fracture in her leg, leaving British supporters to absorb back-to-back losses to two of the country’s most visible players.

The timing underlined the strain that rising players face when injuries flare as expectations peak. Draper had spent most of the past year fighting to return, but each comeback has been followed by another interruption, turning Wimbledon from a launch point into another reminder of how fragile a breakout season can be when the calendar keeps moving.