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Jack Draper has joined Carlos Alcaraz in criticising the bloated ATP calendar after his career was derailed by an arm injury. The Brit reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world last year, thanks in part to his stunning title win in Indian Wells. But Draper has since been sidelined by a bone-bruising injury in his left arm, returning for short-lived stints before spending more time away from the sport. Aged 24, Draper is now ranked outside the world’s top 150 and has already ended his 2026 season after playing just eight events this year.
When he shut down his season, the Sutton-born star said he wanted to “reset and heal”, having spent the better part of 18 months rehabbing and setting new comeback timelines. It will still be at least a couple of months before Draper returns to the match court, but he has now suggested that tennis bosses are putting “a whole generation in danger” when it comes to long-term injuries.
“I'll definitely look after my schedule as best as possible. Longevity is something that I want to achieve. I want to be playing for a long time,” the former world No. 4 told BAGEL Magazine.
“There's a lot of young tennis players now looking at the tour schedule and people say, ‘Oh, you don't need to play every week’, but at the end of the day, young players want to be number one. And to do that, you have to play week in, week out.”
It’s not only the congested calendar that Draper is concerned about. “There's been a lot of money-making decisions in tennis, especially from higher up. And although there's been a lot of good stuff going on, they’re really putting a whole generation in danger, getting injured all the time,” he added.
“It's more to do with the nature of the way the game's going as well: slower courts, slower balls and then athletes getting better. So it’s not in a good place.”
The likes of Holger Rune, Arthur Fils and Lorenzo Musetti have also spent long periods away from the court over the last couple of years due to injuries. They, along with Draper, are part of a strong young cohort tipped to challenge the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the game.
Alcaraz and Sinner themselves have picked up concerning injuries this year. The Spaniard spent almost five months sidelined by a wrist injury over the spring and summer, missing the French Open and Wimbledon, among other events.
Sinner has not played a match since he successfully defended his Wimbledon title in July. A knee injury forced him to miss the entire North American swing and Asian swing, and he ultimately decided to end his season altogether.
Seven-time Major champion Alcaraz had previously voiced his disdain for the demanding tennis schedule, but he has become increasingly vocal since his injury layoff.
“Seeing how tight is the calendar, obviously I don't want to have this break because of an injury. But in the future, I'm going to take some breaks, some long breaks. Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it's impossible to play them all,” the world No. 3 said when he returned at the US Open.
“It's impossible, and we are seeing a lot of players getting injured, a lot of players getting tired. If they don't do anything about it, we are going to see even more in the future.”
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