![Jack Draper (GBR) [4] during his Gentlemen's Singles First Round match against Sebastian Baez (ARG) during day two of The Championships Wimb](https://umniy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1766781738_Jack-Draper-British-No-1-announces-he-will-miss-Australian.jpg)
Jack Draper has announced he will miss next month’s Australian Open after admitting he is not quite ready to return to top-level competition.
The British No.1 has played just one match since Wimbledon, with bone damage in his left arm limiting his 2025 season, and he is set to be sidelined for a little while longer.
Draper, who is number 10 in the world, said in a video on X on Boxing Day: “Unfortunately me and my team have decided not to go to Australia this year.
“It’s a really, really tough decision, obviously (with) Australia being a Grand Slam, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in our sport.
“But I’ve had this injury for a long time, I’m in the very, very last stages of the process, and stepping back on the court for best-of-five tennis so soon just doesn’t seem like a smart decision right now for me and my tennis.
“Obviously I’ve been through quite a few setbacks so far, but by far this has been the hardest, the most challenging and the most complex that I’ve had.
“It’s weird, it always seems to make me more resilient, to make me hungrier to be the player I want to be even more.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there in 2026 and competing. I just want to thank everyone for all the support in 2025. It means the world to me to compete and play out there on the tour with the other guys. I’m looking forward to doing it again. Take care everyone and thanks for the support.”
Although Draper has been struggling with the arm injury for some time now, the video update came as a surprise as it came two days after he was filmed telling fans he would be playing in Australia.
The 24-year-old has previously been dogged by serious injuries, missing six months of the 2023 season due to a shoulder injury which required multiple operations.
Draper has managed his schedule more carefully since, reaching the US Open semi-finals in 2024 and claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 title earlier this year in March at Indian Wells.
The Briton reached a career-high world ranking of No.4 in June, but injury cut his season short as he withdrew after the first round of the US Open and missed the ATP Tour Finals in Turin.
Draper had been asked to return for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final in London earlier this month, but he followed advice to take more time in his recovery.
Skipping the first Grand Slam of the season, which starts on January 18 in Melbourne, Draper is now likely to aim for a comeback in February before defending his Indian Wells title in early March.
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