Overview
- Draper confirmed on Friday that he will miss the 2026 US Open because of a persistent bone bruise in his left (serving) arm.
- The withdrawal follows a season in which he missed the French Open and Wimbledon and then suffered early defeats in Montreal and Cincinnati after recent returns.
- He has tried load management, changes to racket and strings, tweaks to his service motion, and brought Sir Andy Murray and biomechanics support into his team as he seeks to recover.
- The decision leaves the former world No. 4 without a grand-slam appearance in 2026 and has coincided with a fall in his ranking into the mid-100s, making entry to future events reliant on qualifying or wildcards.
- Doctors caution that humeral bone bruises heal slowly and can progress to stress fractures if overloaded, so organisers and Draper must weigh short-term comebacks against longer-term health and career prospects.