World number 10 Jack Draper will miss the Australian Open in Melbourne in January. The Brit continues to suffer from a persistent injury to his left hitting arm, which makes it impossible to take part in the first highlight of the new tennis season. The 24-year-old announced this on social media.
“It’s a really, really tough decision,” said Draper, who hasn’t played a match since the US Open in August. He is “at the absolute end of the healing process, but going straight back into a best-of-five match doesn’t seem to be a wise decision for me and my tennis at the moment.”
Draper won his first Masters title in Indian Wells in March and had since moved up to fourth place in the world rankings.