Jack Draper’s Clay Season Delayed After Monte Carlo Withdrawal

Jack Draper’s transition onto clay will have to wait longer than expected, as the Brit has withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters, which is set to begin next week.

The former top-10 player, whose last nine months on tour, and indeed much of his career, have been plagued by injuries, will now miss the first Masters event of the clay swing despite making steady progress in his comeback.

Setbacks Despite Careful Recovery Plan

Draper had a career-best start to a season in 2025. The first half of the season saw him reach multiple Masters finals and even claim a title at Indian Wells, results that propelled him into the top five in the rankings. However, disaster struck during the grass swing, when the Brit began struggling with an arm injury that ultimately ended his season prematurely in New York.

While the hope was that ending his 2025 season early would allow him to return fully fit in 2026, that plan did not go as expected. Draper was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open at the start of the year. He eventually made his return during the Davis Cup qualifying round, before competing in the Sunshine Double.

There, he produced one of the matches of the season by defeating Novak Djokovic en route to a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells, before suffering a first-round exit in Miami. Now, Draper is taking a cautious approach. Although he has not re-aggravated the injury, he has opted to step away from the tour to focus on his fitness ahead of the natural surface swings.

Top Names Opting for Rest

Draper is not alone in skipping Monte Carlo. Both Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz have also confirmed their withdrawals from this year’s event.

With the tennis calendar as packed as ever, more players appear to be prioritizing rest and recovery over pushing through fatigue. Monte Carlo, as the only non-mandatory Masters 1000 event, is increasingly feeling the effects of that shift.