Jack Draper will miss the US Open because of a long-running bone bruising injury that has disrupted his last season and a half.
The former world No 4, who reached the semi-finals in New York in 2024, has decided he needs more time to recover from the injury to his dominant left arm. He has played sparingly this year, with only 15 matches, and has fallen to 143rd in the world.
Draper suffered back-to-back losses in Montreal and Cincinnati after a lengthy layoff that also saw him miss the French Open and Wimbledon. He broke down in tears during his opening-round defeat to Terence Atmane in Montreal and lost in straight sets to Martin Landaluce in Cincinnati.
After his Cincinnati exit, he said: “The way I'm usually able to fight for every ball and conduct myself, it's just missing. The level of my fall almost from where I was last year and the amount of things that I'm having to change in my tennis ... The mountain seems very, very big.”
His withdrawal means he will not have played a single grand slam match in 2026. The news comes shortly after world No 1 Jannik Sinner announced he would miss the tournament with a knee issue, while reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz is set to return after a four-month spell on the sidelines with a wrist injury.