Jack Draper will not be playing Wimbledon 2026 due to an arm injury. The British tennis player withdrew on Monday, June 29, just 24 hours before his first-round match. The injury had kept him sidelined from much of the 2026 season, including the Australian Open and Roland-Garros.
Draper was scheduled to meet US sixth seed Taylor Fritz on Centre Court on Tuesday, June 30, fresh off a run to the Eastbourne semi-finals.
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“Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” Draper wrote on social media. “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. Thank you for the support!!” he added.
Who will Taylor Fritz play next?
Fritz will play Serbian Dušan Lajović in the first round of Wimbledon. While Fritz was originally scheduled to face Draper in a blockbuster opening match, Draper’s injury and withdrawal changed the plans. Fritz is set to kick off his tournament campaign on Tuesday, June 30, with a start time slated for roughly 8:00 am ET.
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Draper was out with the original arm injury from August last year until February. He was again forced out for a couple of months with a knee problem following a brief return. The Wimbledon withdrawal was a huge blow for a player who was ranked No. 4 this time last year but had to tumble out of the world’s top 100 because of persistent injuries.
