By his own admission, the arm injury which has derailed Draper’s career is “complicated”.
Scans last year showed the former world number four had bruising in his humerus – the bone that runs from the shoulder to the elbow – in his left arm.
Draper’s game is anchored by a big serve and forehand, and the injury stopped him generating power on these shots.
Initially he tried to play through the discomfort, but withdrew from last year’s US Open before his second-round match.
The next move was taking time away from playing and allowing the injury to heal as he swiftly decided to curtail his 2025 season.
Draper opted not to play this year’s Australian Open in January, then missed the French Open and Wimbledon as he continued to take precautionary measures.
He made his latest comeback at the Canadian Open on 4 August, but the sight of him breaking down in tears midway through his first-round loss to France’s Terence Atmane led to further concerns.
Draper did play again nine days later at the Cincinnati Open, but lost in straight sets to Spain’s Martin Landaluce after being 5-2 up in the second set.
Now he has decided to take more time away from the tour.
His representatives said he was “gutted” after what has clearly been a “tough period”, adding they do not know when he will be back competing.
