For now, though, the 24-year-old is back on the sidelines with another injury setback.
After recovering from bone bruise in his arm that sidelined him for nine months last year, Draper returned to the ATP Tour in February after skipping Australian Open to allow for more recovery time. His best result so far in 2026 was a run to Indian Wells quarterfinals, including a win over Djokovic.
But any momentum was halted when he suffered a knee injury in Barcelona, and announced that he would miss the remainder of the clay-court season, including Roland Garros.
“As gutting as it is to miss another slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five set tennis on clay,” Draper shared on Instagram.
“Off the back of the arm injury I sustained last year, I’ve been restricted with my training and by giving myself the time to heal and build, I can be the player I want to be out there once again. See you soon!”
It’s the latest disappointing turn for a promising player who held a career-high ranking of world No. 4 less than a year ago. Draper now sits at No. 50, and his ranking is projected to fall outside the Top 100 by the time he returns.
