"He was very confident - otherwise he wouldn't accept to be invited” - Patrick Mouratoglou gives update on Jack Draper's injury

Jack Draper has been on the sidelines since pulling out of the US Open due to an arm injury. He released a statement which stated that fans will not see him on the court for the rest of 2025, but that does not seem to be the case as he is on the list for a tournament in December.

The British number one first grew injury concerns at Wimbledon, when he was a surprise early exit against former US Open champion Marin Cilic. He skipped most of the North American hardcourt swing, focusing on recovering from his injury, bone bruising. He did not participate in either of the Masters 1000 events in Toronto or Cincinnati.

He made a return at Flushing Meadows, competing in the mixed doubles event alongside Jessica Pegula. The pair made it to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by eventual runners-up Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud. In the singles event, he was looking to defend the semi-final run he completed last year, but due to the arm injury was only able to manage one match: a 3-1 victory over Federico Agustin Gomez.

In a statement on X, it said: “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!”

Despite the statement, Draper has been spotted training at the National Tennis Centre in London, which goes to show that his bone bruising is on the mend. This intwines with the news that he will be competing at the UTS Grand Final in December, being entered as a wildcard. He has had previous fond experiences of the unique event, triumphing in it on debut back in 2023. He will be looking for another good showing this year, with tournament organiser Patrick Mouratoglou positive that Draper will step out onto the court.

"He was very confident - otherwise he wouldn't accept to be invited,” Mouratoglou said to BBC Sport. “I'm sure he's going to play. 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 will be held at the Copper Box in London between 5th-7th December, featuring some of the biggest players in the world. Along with Draper, Ruud and Tomas Machac will also compete in the event.

It has an unconventional format, with it lasting over four eight-minute quarters. 15 seconds is allowed between points, as players compete for as many points in the time frame as possible. Second serves are not allowed, and bonus cards can be played which multiplies the next point by three, making it a tactical affair for the players on when to use it. Once the tie has ended, there is a sudden death deciding point on the line.