Jack Draper warns Jannik Sinner: “It was brutal—they took everything away from me”

Jack Draper’s nightmare seems to have no end. The British tennis player has wrapped up his 2026 season early, having played just 15 matches this year due to chronic problems with his left arm. In an interview with Bagle Magazine, Draper pointed the finger at the current ATP Tour schedule.

“People say, ‘Oh, you don’t need to play every week,’ but at the end of the day, young players want to be number one. And to do that, you have to play week after week. In tennis, many decisions have been driven by profit, especially at the top. And although there have also been many positive initiatives, they’re putting an entire generation of players at risk—players who are constantly getting injured.”

This year, it was the turn of the two prodigies Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with the Italian forced to sit out for six months: he won’t return until 2027. “The problem is also tied to the very nature of the game: slower courts, slower balls, and increasingly skilled athletes. So the situation isn’t exactly ideal.”

Draper, who is dealing with a chronic injury, finds no consolation whatsoever in the fact that other great tennis players are struggling with injuries: “Not at all. The injury to the arm I played with wasn’t positive at all, especially considering the momentum I was building. I was one of the best players in the world, and then everything is taken away from you.”

Draper: “Having an injury that doesn’t heal completely has been brutal—it’s a warning that could also apply to my friend Jannik Sinner. It has certainly taught me a lot about myself, my body, and the people around me. When things are going well, everyone is very kind. Then, when things aren’t going so well, you realize who really cares about you. I can’t wait to come back with a positive outlook, full of energy to tackle the second half of my career.”