Jack Draper has been out of action since September after announcing he would be taking time away from the court to deal with an arm injury but is set to return to action before the end of the year
14:41, 03 Oct 2025
Despite fears that he wouldn't return to action until 2026, British No.1 Jack Draper is set to make a comeback before the year's end. Last month, Draper revealed on social media that he would be taking a break from tennis due to an arm injury.
In a heartfelt post, he wrote: "Unfortunately the injury to my arm is something I have to rest and means I'll be sitting out the rest of 2025. It is very difficult for me to accept as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff.
"However, I have been through this before and I always come back stronger as I am so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player. Huge thanks to everyone who backs me to do well and supports me on my journey.
"Can't wait to get back out there and give it my all. See you soon!"
Although he has withdrawn from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in Saudi Arabia, Draper has agreed to participate in the unconventional UTS Grand Final in December. This unique event ditches traditional tennis rules, with players vying to score as many points as possible in four eight-minute quarters.
Afterwards, a sudden-death deciding point is up for grabs, with no second serves allowed and shorter reset periods permitted between points. Draper has fond memories of the competition, having clinched victory on his debut two years ago.
Despite concerns over his fitness, British tennis fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Jack Draper is set to compete in the upcoming tournament. Images of him training at London's National Tennis Centre have quashed doubts about his readiness for the UTS Grand Final.
Patrick Mouratoglou, the organiser of the UTS Grand Final, reassured fans during an interview with BBC Sport: "He [Draper] was very confident - otherwise he wouldn't accept to be invited and I'm sure he's going to play."
Mouratoglou also emphasised the importance of recovery time, stating: "The only thing you can do is [allow] time for healing. He's going to take a long time before competing again.
"You can't play on a bone bruise, because the next stage is a stress fracture and you can't take the risk to have a stress fracture. When you have a bone bruise on the arm, you can do a lot of fitness, so you stay in shape.
"It's annoying because you need to stop completely and wait until it's completely clean again." The UTS Grand Final kicks off at London's Copper Box Arena on Friday, December 5 and runs until Sunday, December 7.