'It is very difficult for me to accept': Jack Draper confirms season-ending injury after career-best year

Jack Draper has announced that he will miss the rest of the season due to an unfortunate arm injury, bringing his 2025 campaign to an end. The Brit had the best year of his career, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 4 a couple of months ago.

However, in Grand Slam tournaments, he failed to perform as well as he did in other events on the tour and was unable to get past the fourth round in any of the majors. An injury sustained during Wimbledon forced him to miss the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open ATP Masters 1000 events. He rushed his return for the US Open but ended up withdrawing in the middle of the tournament.

Things began to change for Draper specifically during the grass-court swing. He arrived as one of the favorites and as the fourth seed, but he was surprisingly eliminated in the second round by Marin Cilic. Shortly after, he announced that he would be absent for a while due to an injury, skipping the Canadian Open and Cincinnati, and rushing his return to be present at Flushing Meadows.

Draper played mixed doubles with Jessica Pegula, reaching the semifinals, and then was the fifth seed in the main singles draw. He got past the first round against Federico Agustin Gomez, but did not show up for the second round against Zizou Bergs due to a worsening of his injury. Draper recently confirmed that he will not return to the court in 2025.

Looking back on Draper's year

From a young age, the 23-year-old star showed signs of his talent and was noted as one of the names to watch for the future. By 2022, at just 20 years old, he had earned his first victories against top-10 players and made some deep runs in significant tournaments. Over the next couple of seasons, he had to deal with injuries that never allowed him to have much consistency on the tour, alternating great performances with weeks of absence off the court.

In 2024, it seemed that Draper was ready to make a leap, after reaching the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Open and his first semifinals in a Grand Slam tournament, reaching the final four at the US Open. He finished the year in the top 15 and was ready for 2025 to be the year he would make his definitive breakthrough on the tour.

This year, Draper won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeating rivals such as Taylor Fritz (3rd), Ben Shelton (11th), and Carlos Alcaraz (2nd) on the way, before beating Holger Rune (12th) in the final. It was the tournament that earned him his first top-10 appearance and helped solidify his name among the best in the world. In the following months, he continued to make headlines, reaching the final of the Madrid Open (a loss to Casper Ruud).

Draper announces the end of his season

In a recent update on social media, Draper announced that the arm injury is forcing him to take a long break and that he will not play the rest of the tournaments scheduled.

“Hi guys an update from me…Unfortunately, the injury to my arm is something I have to rest and means I’ll be sitting out the rest of 2025. It is very difficult for me to accept as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff. However I’ve been through this before..and I always come back stronger as I’m so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player. Huge thanks to everyone who backs me to do well and supports me on my journey. Can’t wait to get back out there and give it my all. See you soon!"

His next commitments were in the Asian Swing, where he was to play in the Shanghai Masters, in addition to the Paris Masters 1000 in October. Draper's potential presence in the ATP Finals was also expected, considering that he is ninth in the ATP Race and seventh in the ATP Rankings. A couple of good campaigns in the coming weeks could have earned him a spot in the Turin Finals for the first time in his career, but the injury is forcing him to take a break and start thinking about 2026.