“Jack has obviously put in a ton of work in the gym, but is that part of the problem?" - Mark Petchey shares concerns over Jack Draper after he suffers season-ending injury

Jack Draper's 2025 campaign has been frustratingly halted due to an arm injury he picked up during the clay court season, which gradually worsened throughout the grass swing. Despite boasting the likes of Matt Little and Shane Annun in his corner, he has been cautioned for the future around injuries by Mark Petchey.

Draper suffered a shock second-round defeat at Wimbledon to former Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic. With his arm not in the best condition, he skipped the upcoming Canadian and Cincinnati Open in the hopes he could return to Flushing Meadows to defend or even improve on the semi-final he achieved last year.

He did make it to New York, but could only last one match, retiring ahead of his second-round tie. Shortly after, the world number seven made the ultimate decision that he would not feature for the rest of the 2025 season, citing a return at the beginning of 2026.

While ascending to the top, the 23-year-old has focused a lot of effort in the gym, bulking up to give him more power on the court. While this has portrayed fast results and progress, it has led to the injury he has sustained in his left arm, with former British tennis player and coach Petchey feeling sorry for him.

He told betting site BetVictor: “Sometimes you've got to put your faith in people. You've got a team around you, you've got to put your faith in them that they're going to come up with the right solutions. It’s just so unfortunate he’s had a very stop-start career but was on such a great run. It’s pretty heartbreaking for him, for somebody that's put in the effort that he has and the sacrifice that he's got to this kind of juncture again.”

He went on to touch on all the gym work Draper had done in recent times, questioning if that was the smartest move. “Jack has obviously put in a ton of work in the gym which is an amazing effort. But is that part of the problem as well?” Petchey said. "With someone like Jack who is obsessed about becoming the best tennis player that he can have, how do you rein that in?

“If somebody wants to train all guns blazing, how do you allow them to get that feeling where every single day they know that they have put in the best possible effort, but you've done it in such a smart way that you're not causing any physical discomfort to that body.

“I am not party to those conversations, but what I would feel if I was in that situation is that it is so complex and with no definite answer which answer could guarantee is going to sort out the problem permanently. I do feel a lot of sympathy for that group of people that are working there. He's got James Trotman as his coach and he has two of Andy Murray's former guys, Matt Little and Shane Annun, who have been brilliant. He’s got the best on tap. But even the best on tap are not fitness whisperers!”

Draper picked up from an impressive 2024 season. He made two Masters 1000 finals, winning his first one in straight sets over Holger Rune at Indian Wells, but disappointingly coming a cropper against Casper Ruud in three sets at Madrid.

While he has not made the progress intended in Grand Slams, the foundation is their for the young Brit to kick on and continue to rise up the rankings, with his ultimate goal being to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the tennis world.