Is Jack Draper's time with Nike over? Photos spark rumors of sponsorship change

Jack Draper is recovering from a left arm injury that prevented him from participating in the Canadian Open this week and will keep him out for a couple more weeks, causing him to miss the Cincinnati Open as well. Nevertheless, the Brit has been training for the upcoming US Open, albeit without his usual Nike sponsor on his apparel.

The world No. 5 will not play any competitive tournaments before the US Open, so he will arrive without hardcourt match rhythm before the final Grand Slam of the year. Meanwhile, he is training at the LTA's National Tennis Centre in London, where he has been seen with rising star Oliver Tarvet, and photos published on social media have drawn attention as Draper no longer has a sponsor on his clothing.

The 23-year-old Brit is one of Nike's most recognized tennis players, a brand that currently counts Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz among its ambassadors, while its women's roster includes Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen.

Over the last year, the American sports company ended its partnerships with Taylor Fritz—who moved to Boss—and Frances Tiafoe—now with Lululemon. Now that Draper has been seen without Nike apparel, could it be the end of the association with the British No. 1?

Draper's stellar season halted by injury

Draper has been one of the best male tennis players of the season, reaching a career-high world No. 5 ranking. This year, he has a record of 29-9 and won the title at Indian Wells, his first Masters 1000 title, in addition to reaching the final of the Madrid Open, where he fell to Casper Ruud.

Unfortunately for the Brit, the grass-court swing did not end well. After reaching the semifinals at the Queen’s Club Championships (a loss to Jiri Lehecka), he traveled to Wimbledon with high ambitions but was surprised in the second round by veteran Croatian Marin Cilic.

Shortly after Wimbledon, Draper announced that he had suffered a left arm injury that would sideline him for the start of the American hardcourt swing. Draper has, in fact, been out of competition for a month and still has a few weeks to go until his return at the upcoming US Open, where he will have a significant amount of points to defend after reaching the semifinals in 2024.

Draper is taking advantage of these weeks away from competition to train in London with his compatriot Oliver Tarvet, the current world No. 402, who surprised many at the last Wimbledon by qualifying and reaching the second round of the tournament before falling to Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court. Tarvet has been Draper's training partner in recent days.

In photos published on social media, it has been noted that Draper is training without any logos on his clothing, which is unusual for a player sponsored by Nike. He has only been seen with ASICS trainers—another one of his sponsors—while the rest of his clothing has been plain, leading to speculation that the Brit's deal with Nike may have come to an end.

Draper's sponsorship uncertain as US Open return nears

It remains to be seen whether Draper will return to wearing Nike at the US Open, just as he did last year. However, all signs point to him potentially having a new sponsor in the coming weeks, especially considering that Nike already has the world No. 1 and No. 2, Sinner and Alcaraz, and may have decided not to make a large investment to keep another top-5 player.

Draper had his best Grand Slam performance of his career at Flushing Meadows, advancing to the semifinals by defeating rivals like Tomás Machac and Alex de Minaur along the way. He did not drop a set until he met Jannik Sinner—the eventual tournament champion—and the Italian comfortably won in straight sets.