Jack Draper’s US Open campaign is set to kick off on Sunday afternoon, when he faces qualifier Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round.
The Brit was forced to miss both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open after losing to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon, due to a left arm injury.
Draper, who was told he came across as ‘desperate’ when speaking about his fitness during a pre-tournament press conference, competed in the US Open Mixed Doubles competition alongside Jessica Pegula ahead of his singles campaign.
The pair’s semi-final loss to Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud was agonising when considering they were 8-4 up in the match tiebreak, before going on to lose 8-10.
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Andrea Petkovic, a former top 10 WTA player who was also a French Open semi-finalist, has explained why watching Draper in the mixed doubles has left her ‘worried’ about the Brit ahead of his US Open singles campaign.
Andrea Petkovic is worried about Jack Draper’s health
Andrea Petkovic, who reached the 2014 French Open Ladies’ Singles semi-finals, has weighed in on Jack Draper’s fitness ahead of his singles campaign at the US Open.
Petkovic, who won seven WTA Tour singles titles, said she was concerned by Draper running around his forehand to hit backhands during his mixed doubles match against Swiatek and Rudd.
Speaking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Petkovic said: “I am a little bit worried about him.
“The reason I say that is because in the mixed doubles I called two of Team ‘Dragula’s’ [Draper and Pegula] matches, and in the last one against Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, he was running around his forehand to play backhands.
“I think he passed after Wimbledon just now because he had problems with his left arm so I am a little worried about him in terms of health. I hope it was just that day.
“I thought it was just me but then Jimmy Arias came after the match and was like ‘was Jack running around his forehand?’ So it was two that noticed it.”
Can Jack Draper win the US Open?
Jack Draper’s path to US Open glory will likely be a lot more difficult than his journey at last year’s tournament.
Draper only faced one seeded player – Alex de Minaur – before facing Jannik Sinner in the 2024 US Open Men’s Singles semi-finals.
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After dropping out of the ATP top-four, Draper can no longer avoid the higher seeds until the semi-finals. Instead, he is scheduled to face Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, if both players reach that stage.
However, with Sinner falling ill ahead of the Cincinnati Open final, and concerns regarding Draper’s health persisting, perhaps another player could cause a shock at this year’s tournament.