Jack Draper out of Madrid and Rome with aggravated knee tendon, ranking to plummet
The left-hander has been limited to four tournaments this season after recovering from a lengthy left-arm injury.
A year after emerging as one of the standout competitors during the clay-court season, Jack Draper has been relegated to the sidelines with yet another injury to overcome.
At the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Draper retired late in his third set with Tomas Martin Etcheverry after struggling with an aggravated tendon in his right knee. That setback has now forced the left-hander out of his next two tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
“It's frustrating for sure, but I am thankful it isn't anything more serious,” he said in a statement reported by British press.
“Recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there.”
In 2025, Draper emerged as a surprise Mutua Madrid Open finalist and backed that performance up with a quarterfinal showing at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. He would later reach the fourth round of the French Open for the first time, but a bone bruise in his left arm soon halted the momentum of cracking the ATP’s Top 4.
The pair of ATP Masters 1000 events leading into the season’s second major account for nearly 53 percent of Draper’s current point total. With those set to drop off, the world No. 28 is projected to fall outside of the Top 70 ahead of his bid to get fit in time for Paris.
Draper, who also missed the Australian Open, has played four tournaments since making his return in February at a Davis Cup Qualifier for his country. The London native most notably edged out Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open before seeing his Indian Wells title defense ended by Daniil Medvedev in a controversial finish.