Jannik Sinner, one less rival at Roland Garros

It was news in the air, but now it is official: Jack Draper will not play Roland Garros. The Briton has announced a forfeit for the second Slam of the season because of the knee problem he suffered in Barcelona, an injury that still does not allow him to handle the load of best-of-five-set matches on clay.

The decision came on the advice of the medical staff, which ruled out an immediate return to avoid relapse. Draper explained that he has resumed training and is back to hitting the ball, but not enough to face a Slam on such a wearisome surface. The bottom line is just that: the knee is improving, but it still does not offer sufficient guarantees to sustain long, high-intensity matches.

The Paris forfeit comes at an extremely delicate time in the 24-year-old’s career. After a long stop due to an arm injury that kept him out for about eight months, Draper had only returned in February, but managed to play just nine matches all season. It was a choppy return, without continuity, which prevented him from rebuilding his rhythm, confidence and condition at the very time he was trying to rejoin the circuit’s elite on a stable basis.

The waiver, then, should be read more as a strategic choice than as a simple step backward. Forcing the recovery would have meant exposing himself to the risk of another stop, with possible consequences even for the season on grass and the rest of 2026. The real goal now is to preserve his physique and arrive competitive in the months ahead, with an eye inevitably turned to Wimbledon.

In the message posted on social media, Draper summed up the meaning of the choice well: “My knee is improving and I have started to hit the ball again, but I have been advised not to play Roland Garros.” Then the passage that clarifies his team’s line: “It doesn’t make sense to rush the comeback and jump right into best-of-five-set matches on clay.” The closing, however, remains hopeful: “See you soon.”