Jack Draper out of Queen’s as concerns grow for Wimbledon

Jack Draper has withdrawn from Queen’s, raising concerns over his fitness for Wimbledon.

Draper has suffered a slew of injuries since last year, when he reached the semi-final at Queen’s and broke into the world’s top 10.

The 24-year-old chose to skip the clay-court swing in favour of a return to grass and with Sir Andy Murray in his coaching box, he looked primed to return. But despite that burgeoning partnership which was established for the grass season, it is unclear how he will recover in time for Wimbledon, which starts on June 29.

“Recovery is going in the right direction, but I’m going to give myself one more week and aim to return at Eastbourne,” Draper said in a statement, adding: “Very hard to miss one of my favourite events of the year.”

He has played just 10 matches since last year’s tournament at SW19 after suffering a bone bruise to his left humerus and then a knee injury that forced him to retire in the first round of the Barcelona Open.

Draper has been at Queen’s in recent days taking part in training sessions, but the suggestion has been that he has not been serving. That would indicate a return of the left humerus bone bruise that saw him play just one singles match between Wimbledon last year and February 2026, rather than a knee-related issue.

Draper’s management said he had picked up a knee-tendon injury in Barcelona just over a fortnight ago, but he had been seen wearing tape on that right knee in several matches since returning from a long-term problem in his left elbow in February. There may have been concerns before the knee flared up against Tomás Martín Etcheverry, forcing Draper to retire in the third set.

On June 6 last year, Draper was ranked fourth in the world, but his absence from the tour has meant he has tumbled outside the top 100 (to 112), and will fall further when the points from Queen’s last year come off that total.

Although Draper’s Wimbledon record is poor, without a single appearance in the third round after four attempts, his game is well-suited to the surface. However, whether his fragile body will be ready in time remains to be seen.

There are reasons to be hopeful about Draper, should he be fit enough for Wimbledon. He won the “fifth slam” at Indian Wells last year, beating Carlos Alcaraz en route to the final. But he has never been past the second round at Wimbledon and admitted last year to being “inexperienced” on grass, despite growing up in Surrey and with his father previously the chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]