Jack Draper’s ‘mental’ Shanghai Masters excuse sums up latest problem | Tennis | Sport
Jack Draper has been forced to miss the Shanghai Open for the second year running (Image: Getty)
In the high-octane world of professional tennis, few players embody the grind’s toll quite like Jack Draper. The British No. 1, currently ranked No. 7 in the world, has twice been forced to skip the Shanghai Masters – and both absences trace back to the same unforgiving culprit: a schedule so punishing it’s left him battered and bruised.
What started as a complaint about a “mental” fixture list in 2024 has manifested into a literal physical breakdown – a stark reminder that even the sport’s rising stars can’t outrun burnout. A year ago, Draper’s decision to withdraw from Shanghai wasn’t born of injury, but of sheer self-preservation. Fresh off a breakthrough US Open semi-final run, the then-22-year-old had barely caught his breath. He’d followed his New York heroics with two gruelling singles losses in Great Britain’s Davis Cup group ties in Manchester, facing off against heavy hitters like Frances Tiafoe and Gabriel Diallo. The toll was evident.
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“The schedule is mental,” Draper told reporters at the time, his frustration spilling over as he opted to prioritise recovery ahead of the Asian swing. Instead of jetting to China for the ATP Masters 1000 showdown, he skipped it and headed straight to the Vienna Open later that month.
It was a calculated gamble that paid off: Draper reached the last eight in Austria, proving his point about the calendar’s chaos. Tennis’s elite circuit, with its back-to-back hard-court marathons and international hops, leaves little room for respite. For a player like Draper, whose explosive game relies on raw power, the cumulative strain was already whispering warnings.
Fast-forward to 2025, and those whispers have amplified into a mini crisis. Draper is out for the entire remainder of the season, including a second consecutive Shanghai Masters bow-out, thanks to a nagging bone bruise on his upper left serving arm.
Draper has been struggling with injuries lately (Image: Getty)
The injury, a classic case of repetitive strain, first reared its head during the spring clay-court season. By Wimbledon in July, it had flared up badly, and he was all-too-easily knocked out in the second round by Marin Cilic.
Scans later revealed the grim truth: a bruised humerus bone, the kind of micro-trauma that builds from overzealous repetition without adequate rest. This, of course, isn’t some freak accident. It’s the brutal endpoint of that “mental” schedule Draper referenced a year prior.
After Wimbledon, he withdrew from the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters to rest, but the damage lingered. He made a cautious return at the US Open – but withdrew ahead of his second round clash with Zizou Bergs after discomfort in his arm returned.
A few days later, he announced the seriousness of the problem: he’d be out for the rest 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 social media. “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.”
Some experts point to Draper’s serving style as a double-edged sword. His high-velocity strikes – often clocking 130mph-plus – generate the aces that win points but also hammer the arm joint after joint. “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,” he told BBC Sport.
He says he’s considering tweaks, drawing inspiration from Novak Djokovic‘s more economical, spin-varied delivery. “Sometimes almost reining it in is not a bad thing,” Draper noted.
Draper’s serve may be playing a role in his recurring arm injury (Image: Getty)
“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.”
For now, Draper can only watch from the sidelines as the 2025 season plays out. But if the break ensures he returns fully fit and ready in 2026, the patience will prove worthwhile.
