Tennis

Britain’s Draper aims for return in 2027 after injury-hit season

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Jack Draper, of Britain, reacts after losing his second round men's singles match against Marin Cilic of Croatia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) (Kin Cheung)

LONDON (AP) — Jack Draper will remain sidelined until the 2027 season as he recovers from a long-term arm injury.

The 24-year-old Briton, who reached a career-high No. 4 ranking in 2025, missed all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

“Last summer all the dedication and work I had put into this sport was coming together,” he wrote Tuesday on Instagram. “It was all going my way and the path seemed so clear.

“However a complicated injury made things incredibly challenging and since that moment I’ve been desperately trying to get back and feel as I once did on the court.”

The lefthander added that the adversity “has helped me to grow massively in many areas of my life but has also made me feel a level of fatigue. I am taking this time to reset and heal so when I return I am 100% ready to go.”

Draper has targeted a return to the tour “at the start of 2027.”

A year ago, Draper had also cut short his 2025 season because of the arm problem. He had been diagnosed with a bone bruise following a loss to Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon and then pulled out of a second-round match at the U.S. Open.

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The Associated Press