British tennis star Jack Draper pulls out of Wimbledon ahead of Taylor Fritz clash

Monday, 29 June 2026 15:56

British tennis star Jack Draper has announced he has pulled out of Wimbledon.

The British men's number two had been due to play American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday.

However he took to social media on Monday to reveal that a recurring arm injury would rule him out from the tournament.

Draper said he was "devastated" to be pulling out and thanked fans for their support.

His statement went on: "There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon.

"I will continue to persevere through this."

His announcement comes a day after fellow Briton Emma Raducanu revealed she was withdrawing from Wimbledon due to a stress fracture.

Draper's career has been plagued by injuries. At the start of last year he missed the United Cup due to a hip injury.

The same injury also prevented him from attending a training camp with four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.

He later played in the Australian Open in Melbourne but was forced to retire mid-match against Alcaraz in the fourth round.

He was then knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round by the 2017 runner-up, Marin Cilic, and would only play one more match for the rest of the year due to bone bruising.

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Draper has three professional titles to his name so far, and has earned more than £5million in prize money, according to the ATP Tour.

In September 2024 he became the first British man to reach the US Open semi-final since Andy Murray in 2012, doing so without dropping a set.

His run to the semi-final saw him defeat then number 10 seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: British tennis star Jack Draper pulls out of Wimbledon ahead of Taylor Fritz clash

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