British tennis player Jack Draper announced, this Wednesday (29), that he is out of the Masters 1000 in Rome and Roland Garros, the next major clay court tournaments, due to a knee injury.
The 24-year-old left-hander was forced to withdraw from his match against Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the first round of the ATP 500 in Barcelona, at the beginning of the month, after feeling a problem in his right leg.
Currently number 28 in the ATP rankings, Draper only returned to play in February, after six months away due to a problem with his right arm.
His best Grand Slam result was at the 2024 US Open, when he reached the semifinals.
Draper explains the decision on Instagram
“My knee is healing and I’m back to hitting balls, but unfortunately I’ve been advised not to play Roland Garros,” Draper wrote on Instagram.
“As painful as it is to lose another Grand Slam, the recommendation is not to go straight back to best-of-five sets matches on clay.”
“After the arm injury I suffered last year, I had limitations in training and, by giving myself time to recover and evolve, I can return to being the player I want to be. See you soon!”
Tennis player expected to fall more than 100 positions in one year at ATP
Draper’s situation becomes more dramatic when you consider that in June 2025, less than a year ago, he was fourth in the ATP rankings, his career-best position.
With the withdrawals in Rome and Roland Garros, the Englishman will lose the 400 points he defended in both tournaments. He reached the round of 16 of the French Grand Slam, .
Thus, after Roland Garros, Draper will have dropped out of the top 100 of the ranking, falling more than 100 positions in the space of just one year. The expectation is that he will return for the grass season, aiming for Wimbledon, where he will play at home.
Draper’s absence benefits João Fonseca
João Fonseca, who has a good relationship with Draper, will end up indirectly benefiting from his colleague’s absence in the next tournaments.
After all, the Englishman was one of the Brazilian’s direct competitors. To do this, João needs to be among the top 32 in the ranking.
In the live rankings, the Brazilian has already taken 29th position, while Draper has fallen 21 positions and is expected to lose even more before the French Grand Slam.
