Jack Draper exited from the Championships in the early stages
The British number one's preparations for 2026 have begun much earlier than anticipated
An arm injury has restricted him to just one singles match since the grass-court major - and caused him to cut short his campaign after discomfort proved too much at the US Open in August
Comeback Trail
But the young British top-ten player is back in training, and organizers of a weekend tournament in London in the final month are optimistic he will be fit to play
Draper is scheduled to make his return at the showcase event in the English capital, having been offered a wildcard by Patrick Mouratoglou
"He expressed certainty - otherwise he would decline to be included," the renowned coach stated
"I'm convinced he will participate. The sole approach you can do is allow time for healing. It will require a extended period before returning to competition"
Injury Management
"It's impossible to compete on a bone contusion, because the next stage is a stress fracture and you cannot risk the risk to have a stress fracture"
"When you have a bone bruise on the arm, you can perform a lot of fitness, so you stay in shape. It's frustrating because you need to stop completely and be patient until it's completely clean again"
Current Activities
Draper was showcasing next summer's collection for one of his sponsors last week and has been working out regularly at the premier training facility in the city
The training is primarily fitness-based at the moment, and when off-season preparation begins in earnest in the coming weeks, the first tennis exercises are likely to be low in intensity
Recovery History
The top-ranked UK player first felt discomfort in his upper left serving arm during the spring European swing in the earlier this year, and after a medical examination after the Championships, did not practice serving for a four-week period
But the period of rest proved insufficient. He successfully completed his first-round match at the Flushing Meadows, but withdrew before the next round, and the opportunity to make his first appearance at the year-end championships was gone
"He ranks among the best and he competed in half of the year. Just to say how good he is..." the coach added
"The main challenge for the time being is the physical issues: he has been affected by multiple physical setbacks already in the past"
Career Outlook
"I consistently believed he was going to be a elite competitor, but for all athletes that is supposed to become a world-class performer, there are things to solve"
"For him, it's to find a way to be injury free as often as feasible because this factor caused him to miss a little bit of time otherwise he would be higher in the rankings, I believe"
Event Details
The UTS London Grand Final will be staged at the London arena from early December
Draper triumphed at the competition in last year and earned what was then the biggest pay cheque of his career
Multiple Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud will also be in the select player group for contests played over short timed periods
- Only 15 seconds are permitted between points
- There is no second serve
- Special advantages can be activated to multiply the value of the following rally by three
