Jack Draper Withdraws from US Open Due to Injury
British tennis player Jack Draper, seeded number 5, announced his withdrawal from the US Open due to a left arm injury. Draper, who reached the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last year, did not participate in any event between Wimbledon and his arrival in New York. He felt pain in his arm for the first time during the clay season.With Draper’s withdrawal, Zizou Bergs from Belgium advances to the third round by walkover. After his first-round victory on Monday against the ranked Federico Agustin Gomez, Draper indicated that he was competing ahead of schedule, having tested himself last week in the mixed doubles tournament, where he played with American Jessica Pegula. “With the injury I had to my arm, the return to competition is probably about eight weeks; I’m here seven weeks, so I’m going soon,” Draper told reporters on Tuesday. “There are days when you’re very encouraged because you think you’re on the right track, and then there are days when you have setbacks and you think, oh, maybe I can’t do it. There have been many of those days, but at the same time, I think that as I’ve gotten closer to the tournament, my team and I, we’ve done more scans, we’re sure that I’m not doing any more damage to my arm, and I’m in a place where I can go out and compete. It’s not going to hold me back, so that’s very positive. Draper was positioned at the top of the draw and could have faced number 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. As a result of the withdrawal, Draper’s ranking will fall to at least number 7.“I am sorry to report that I will be withdrawing from the US Open. I did everything I could to be here and give myself every chance to play, but the discomfort in my arm has become too much and I have to do the right thing and take care of myself,” Draper stated.
Jack Draper
