Jack Draper sends out a positive injury message as he sparks sponsorship rumours
Jack Draper revealed he has suffered an injury setback that will impact his plans ahead of this month’s US Open, but last year’s Flushing Meadows semi-finalist appears to be doing his best to get ready to play in New York.
Draper has not stepped on court in a professional event since his disappointing second round defeat against Marin Cilic at Wimbledon in early July.
Last week, the British No 1 confirmed he will not be playing in this week’s ATP 1000 tournament in Toronto or the Cincinnati Masters that will precede the US Open.
He posted on X: “After Wimbledon I picked up an injury in my left arm, nothing serious, but I have to make sure it recovers fully for the rest of the season.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in Toronto and Cincinnati… See you in NYC !”
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If Draper does not play any competitive hard court matches in North America ahead of the US Open, it would leave him undercooked ahead of the US Open, but he has been captured in a image back on court at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London.
Draper had a hitting session with rising British star Oliver Tarvet, who came through Wimbledon qualifying and then put up a strong showing at his first Grand Slam as he lost his opening match and then performed well against Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court.
That breakthrough has opened the door for Tarvet to train with top players and he jumped at the chance to have a hit with world No 5 Draper.
The sight of Draper back on court will warm the hearts of his fans and they were quick to spot that he was on court without his trademark Nike clothing.
Draper was wearing ASICS trainers and he had no branded logos on the rest of his clothing.
Even though it was a practice session with Tarvet, Draper would be expected to wear branded clothing if he was still in a sponsorship agreement with a manufacturer.
There have been rumours in recent weeks that his current Nike deal is coming to an end and it would be understandable if he is asking for a big pay rise for his next deal due to his lofty status in the men’s game.
Nike have long-term deals in place with world No 1 Jannik Sinner and No 2 Carlos Alcaraz, so it remains to be seen if they have space to add another top five player to their sponsorship roster if Draper is demanding a big fee to stay with the American sportswear giant.
Draper will be eager to get back to full fitness ahead of the US Open, as he has a lot of ranking points to defend in New York after his sparkling run to the last four in last year’s tournament.
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