Britain's Draper out for season with arm injury

Jack Draper withdrew from the US Open in the second round because of the arm injury

Jack Draper will not play again this season because of the arm injury that forced his withdrawal from the US Open.

The 23-year-old British number one left New York before his second-round match because the discomfort in his arm had become too much.

Draper, ranked seventh in the world, had not played singles since Wimbledon because of bruising on his upper left serving arm, although his team were confident a scan taken before the US Open suggested a full recovery.

But after beating the Argentine qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round, Draper flew home and now says he must rest and sit out the remainder of the season.

"It is very difficult for me to accept as I was building some incredible momentum this year and playing some great stuff," he posted on his social media channels.

"However, I've been through this before and I always come back stronger as I'm so motivated to fulfil my potential as a player."

The news means Draper will not be able to realise this season's goal of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, in Turin in November, for the first time.

He was in a very strong position to do so earlier in the year, after winning his first ATP 1000 event in Indian Wells in March and finishing as the runner-up in Madrid in May.

Draper is also likely to lose his place in the world's top 10 by the end of the year.

He felt discomfort in his arm during the clay court season in the spring. It affected his forehand and serve and, with the pain increasing, a scan was taken after his defeat by Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon.

On medical advice Draper did not hit any serves for a month or any ground strokes for two and a half weeks, but arrived in New York confident the injury would not hold him back.

Draper has had many physical problems in his first few years on tour. He did not play for two and a half months because of a shoulder injury in the summer of 2023 and a hip issue last December affected his preparations for this season.

He puts a huge amount of force through his body - with his serve and forehand as his two biggest assets - and admits there could be benefits in "reining in" his serve

"It's surprised me a little bit that even when I do serve full out, my service numbers and my aces aren't where I want them to be - and I think sometimes almost reining it in is not a bad thing," he told BBC Sport after his first-round win at the US Open.

"You see the top servers ever to play - someone like a Novak Djokovic has such an underrated serve, and he hits his spots incredibly well. He's not banging it at 140 [miles per hour].

"They are using their slices, the spins, different variations - so I think there is definitely something to be said in that. It's not all about how fast you hit your service, it's about how effective it is."

Draper also acknowledged in New York that an injury like this can potentially be very serious. By sitting out the rest of the season, he will have at least four months without a match.