Jack Draper reveals he discovered an arm issue following his shock Wimbledon exit but has since returned to being fully healthy and highlights he is not lacking any motivation ahead of the US Open.
After Draper collected his maiden Masters crown in Indian Wells and broke into the top-5, high hopes were placed on him at Wimbledon. Those hopes of seeing the world No. 5 do well at The Championships were quickly squashed after he suffered a surprise second-round loss to Marin Cilic.
While Draper took all the responsibility and blame for his Wimbledon display, he later withdrew from the Masters tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati, citing an injury. Now, in an interview with LTA, the 23-year-old said that after The Championships, he found out that he had been playing with an arm injury "for a little while."
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Draper: The doctors advised me to take a break and I did so... I'm in a great place now
The doctors and my team advised me that Id need to take some time out. I had a few days off, so I chilled and took my mind off tennis. Then I was really motivated to come back and do a really good fitness block and work myself hard physically to make some good gains," the world No. 5 told LTA.
After taking some time for himself and fixing his arm issue, Draper says he is in "a great place" now and ecstatic about taking to the US Open courts.
I got back to my tennis slowly to protect my arm, but its been a really productive few weeks now. It was disappointing to miss Toronto and Cincinnati, but I think its been a good period for me to reflect on things and improve. Im really looking forward to going out to the US Open, and Im in a great place personally and tennis-wise. I feel refreshed, motivated, and I cant wait to get back out there," the Briton added.
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Last year, Draper made his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open before losing to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. The world No. 5 not playing any matches ahead of the US Open definitely isn't ideal, but at least he is guaranteed to arrive to New York fresh and healthy.
