British number one Jack Draper says he feels "ready to go" at the US Open despite battling a painful arm injury that has troubled him for months. The left-handed Englishman revealed he has been struggling with a bruised humerus bone in his serving arm, an injury that runs from shoulder to elbow.
The 23-year-old, who reached the New York semi-finals last year, attempted to play down concerns ahead of his first-round match against Argentine qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez on Monday. "It's an injury which takes time to heal," Draper said. "A bone can heal but it might be giving me some discomfort."
According to the Daily Mail, Draper has climbed to world No 5, his highest ranking to date. The injury began during the clay-court season and progressively worsened through the grass-court period culminating at Wimbledon.
Strategic recovery approach
Draper pulled out of both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open to fully recover from the arm issue. The Daily Mail reports his recovery involved two weeks without hitting groundstrokes and a month without serving.
"After the grass, I got it checked out," Draper explained. "It is one of those where if you keep playing with it, it could become very, very serious." He acknowledged feeling his arm "shutting down a little bit" during forehands and serves at Wimbledon, though he was reluctant to blame the injury for his second-round exit to Marin Cilic.
Despite the setback, Draper has had a breakthrough year, winning the Indian Wells Masters in March according to the Mirror. This victory established him as a form player early in 2024 before the injury concerns emerged.
Return to competition
Draper returned to match play this week in mixed doubles alongside American star Jessica Pegula at Flushing Meadows. While he appeared to hold back on his serve as the pair reached the quarter-finals, he described it as "perfect" preparation.
"In tennis, having a month and a half out is quite a long time," he said. "I definitely feel a lot sharper having played that as opposed to maybe having a training week." The British star insisted he would not hold back during his singles campaign.
The Daily Mail notes a potential quarter-final clash with defending champion Jannik Sinner awaits if Draper progresses through the early rounds. His return to the scene of his 2023 semi-final breakthrough represents a crucial test of both his physical condition and mental resilience.
Sources used: "BBC", "Mirror", "Daily Mail" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
