Injury setbacks continue to mount for Jack Draper, who has now announced that, after already having to delay his return to the court at the start of the grass season, he will also miss next week’s Queen’s Club Championships as he continues doing everything possible to be fit in time for Wimbledon.
The 24-year-old will not take part in his home event this year. Although he has made progress rehabbing the knee injury sustained at Indian Wells earlier this season, he is not yet ready to compete in professional matches.
A Promising Run Derailed by Injuries
Ranked No. 4 in the world just over fifteen months ago, Draper looked like the player most likely to make the jump to the next level and challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for the biggest titles in the sport. He enjoyed an exceptional start to the 2025 season, winning Indian Wells before reaching the final of the Madrid Masters.
However, as has been the case for much of Draper’s career, injuries once again began to take their toll. Toward the end of the clay-court swing, he started suffering from a left arm issue, the severity of which was initially unknown.
Although the Brit competed in both summer Majors, suffering early exits at each, he was forced to retire from the US Open due to the same arm injury. That ultimately signaled the end of his season in anticlimactic fashion after a year that had begun with so much promise. The issue later proved far more serious than initially perceived, with Draper even forced to withdraw from the Australian Open at the start of this season.
Knee Problem Adds to Fitness Concerns
He eventually returned at the Davis Cup qualifiers this year and then impressed once again at Indian Wells, defeating Novak Djokovic on his way to the quarterfinals. However, it was there that he suffered the right knee injury that continues to trouble him.
The injury caused Draper to miss almost the entire clay season. He played just one match on clay before withdrawing from the French Open.
Several changes off the court, most notably the appointment of Andy Murray as his coach for the grass season, had suggested Draper would be ready to compete once the grass swing began. That has not proven to be the case, however, with the Brit now confirmed to miss the first two grass-court events of the year.
Eastbourne Remains the Target
Despite the setback, Draper is still targeting a return the week after Queen’s at Eastbourne, another grass-court warm-up event for Wimbledon held in the United Kingdom.
The tournament is expected to mark the on-court debut of the Murray-Draper partnership. If everything goes according to plan and Draper arrives at Wimbledon healthy, he will have a significant opportunity to make a deep run.
With Carlos Alcaraz absent from the field and Draper eager to rebuild momentum, the Brit will look to begin climbing the rankings once again after a prolonged spell of injury problems that have seen him fall outside the world’s top 100 in the rankings.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
