From the moment news of Great Britain’s planned team for the United Cup was announced in October, jokes began to fly. On paper, it was a dream. Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, the top tennis players in the country and figureheads of a new generation, finally united on the same side of the court.
However, recent history has shown that things are never straightforward with Britain’s two greatest hopes. Both players have had to navigate injuries and physical problems in their young careers, so to some fans and onlookers the real question was which player would withdraw first. Draper won that race, but on the first day of the 2026 season neither player was physically prepared to take to the court.
On Sunday, Raducanu withdrew from her scheduled season opener against Naomi Osaka after being sidelined for much of her off-season with a foot injury. She eventually took to the court for Great Britain’s second tie against Greece, where she faced the former world No 3 Maria Sakkari. She handled herself well enough and did not appear to have any issues with her foot. But between her struggles to find her timing early on and how she rapidly faded physically in set three, her lack of preparation caught up with her.
Raducanu has a week to ensure that she is better prepared for her first individual tournament at the Hobart WTA 250 event. For now, the situation surrounding Draper is more curious. He withdrew from the entire Australian Open swing due to his recovery from the bone bruise injury to his left arm, meaning this latest injury saga will last at least six months. He played just one match in this period, winning in the first round at the US Open then withdrawing from the tournament.
During his injury announcement in December, Draper admirably opted to take an optimistic outlook on his situation. He said he was in the final stages of his recovery and close to a return. One of the key factors in his decision to skip Australia altogether, he noted, was the prospect of competing in the gruelling best-of-five-sets format at the Australian Open, which he was not ready for. Monday provided more hopeful news with a potential date for Draper’s return. He was named as part of Great Britain’s full‑strength Davis Cup team for their Qualifier tie against Norway on 5 and 6 February, a week after the Australian Open.
Still, this is a devastating period in the 24-year-old’s career. Draper’s time as a professional has often been defined by injuries and physical issues. In his first ATP match at the Miami Open in 2021, a 19-year-old Draper was forced to retire after a tight opening set because of cramps in the difficult Florida heat, an introduction to the tour that in some ways has set the tone for years of battles with his own body.
Midway through last year, Draper was understandably hopeful that he was moving past his injury issues. The shoulder injury that forced him to miss Wimbledon and most of the summer tournaments in 2023 had a transformative effect on his career, pushing him to mature and fully devote himself to his singular goal of fulfilling his potential. His transcendent year between 2024 and 2025 soon followed. Draper reached the US Open semi-finals, he won his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and he rose to No 4 in the ATP rankings, gaining experience and learning lessons.
The most concerning part of Draper’s career is how rare the stretches of good health have been. He is still young with many years ahead of him, but he is not a child. Most players around his age have compiled a large number of matches, allowing them to continue their physical and mental evolution.
Of those born in the 2000s ranked in the world’s top 10, the 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has already played 345 ATP singles main-draw matches, the 24-year-old Jannik Sinner 407, the 25-year-old Félix Auger-Aliassime 436 and the 23-year-old Lorenzo Musetti 310. Draper has contested only 169 in his career. Even the 23-year-old Ben Shelton, who turned professional in August 2022 after spending his earlier years in college, has played 19 more matches than Draper.
With that in mind, this is surely a critical year in Draper’s career. His results last year confirmed what has been clear for a long time – Draper is capable of competing for the biggest titles in the world and he is in the conversation as one of the few potential rivals for Alcaraz and Sinner. He has everything he could possibly need, from his destructive, well-rounded left-hand game to his work ethic and mental toughness. Surrounded by a tight, large team of proven professionals, he is clearly doing everything he possibly can to perform at the highest level. He just needs to be healthy.
