Jack Draper's nightmare continues. He has confirmed that he won't play in Roland Garros because of his injuries, to add to his absence in Madrid this week and in Rome next week. "My knee is recovering, and I have started hitting balls again, but unfortunately, I have been advised not to play at Roland Garros", Draper posted on social media.
"As gutting as it is to miss another Grand Slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five-set matches on clay directly. After the arm injury I suffered last year, I had to limit my training, but by giving myself time to recover, I will be able to return to being the player I want to be on the court".
The 24-year-old British player, who reached a career high of World No. 4 last June shortly after reaching his first Masters 1000 finals (losing in Madrid to Rune, but winning at Indian Wells against Ruud) suffered an arm injury in the second round of the US Open. He has since tried to make a comeback several times, and remarkably defeated Novak Djokovic at the Indian Wells round of 16 in a tight match, but hasn't played since losing in first round at the Barcelona Open, his only clay match in 2026, now suffering from a knee injury.
This will have devasting consequences for his ranking: he is currently ranked 28th in the world but virtually out of the top 50 after this week in Madrid as he loses 650 points, and will then lose 400 points from his quarter-finals in Rome last year and the round of 16 in Roland Garros, which means he will likely drop out of the top 100.