Jack Draper’s latest injury setback has come at a brutal time, with the Brit being forced to miss the rest of his clay court campaign.
Having already had spells out of action in recent times due to an arm injury, this will feel like another damaging blow for the 24-year-old.
This time it is a knee issue that has stopped him from playing, with Draper needing to withdraw from Roland Garros because of it.
The time he is spending on the sidelines continues to add up and he now faces a battle not just to get fit again but potentially save his career as well.
Another injury setback puts Jack Draper’s career at risk
Draper is set to miss both the Rome and Paris events, a stretch that will soon see him fall outside the world’s top 100 rankings.
That was unimaginable just a year ago, when he had claimed his first Masters 1000 title and reached another final in Madrid.
But tennis can be unforgiving, leaving players behind if they can’t keep pace.
The questions around Draper’s fitness don’t have quick fixes, but he and his team need to find answers soon.
He’s missing important development windows, passing up what could have been prime years after showing so much potential early in the season before injuries took over.
Fans were already growing frustrated with how often he was being sidelined with knocks. But now this seems more serious.
Jack Draper recalls challenge of reaching the Top 100
It’s strange to think that, about a year ago, Draper was reflecting on how hard it had been just to get into the world’s top 100.
Now, almost exactly one year later, he finds himself needing to climb back into those rankings once again.
This time around should be a bit easier. He’s done it before and has developed a lot as a player since then.
But that doesn’t make the road back any less daunting, either physically or mentally. As he told Sky Sports at the time: “I’d definitely say breaking the top 100 was something that I’ll look back on and think, that’s one of the hardest things I’ve done.”
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