US Open breakout star Jack Draper won't be in Shanghai for the upcoming ATP Masters 1000 event due to an injury sustained during his recent run at the Japan Open.
Unfortunately, Draper has extensive experience missing events, as the British player has missed many so far in his career. Despite being one of the most talented players, he was frequently denied the chance to develop himself as a player in the past couple of years due to various injuries.
At times, it got so bad that he thought about stopping because it didn't seem like he would be able to get back to the courts. Patience and persistence are incredible virtues to have, and Draper had plenty of both in the months leading up to his most recent breakout.
He was able to nurse himself to solid health. He started to play more and more, and with every victory, Draper became more and more confident. Eventually, it culminated in a sensational US Open run, which, in fairness, was helped by the draw clearing up quite a bit, but he still played extremely well.
He beat several good players to find himself in the semi-final, where Jannik Sinner proved too strong to overcome. Even so, it was precisely what he needed.
The run boosted his confidence, which would serve him well as the year slowly transitions to the indoor part of the season, where he plays well. It also earned him valuable experience, which he lacked due to not being able to play much tennis because of the injuries.
In addition, it showed him that his body can handle lots of tennis. He's likely never going to be an Ironman, but after many injuries, he developed some serious doubts about whether he could really do this, and the US Open run dispelled all of that.
His return after the US Open happened at the Japan Open, where he played last year as well. Draper was looking rather solid as he won a couple of matches, setting up a quarter-final against Ugo Humbert.
That match started out well for him, but the Brit started struggling as it went on. He then took a medical time-out for what seemed to be an abdominal issue but opted to continue playing.
He didn't last long, as he retired early in the second set. The issue didn't look particularly troublesome, even though there isn't such a thing as a good retirement. It clearly signaled that something was wrong.
Now, Draper has officially withdrawn from the 2024 Shanghai Masters, which means that it was an issue that was significant enough to prevent him from playing at the event, which begins on October 2nd.
There haven't been any reports as to what precisely the issue is, but it will become known. The hope right now is that whatever it is, it's not major and doesn't completely derail what might have been a possible strong finish to the season for Draper. Unfortunately, it's a familiar story for him.
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