Jack Draper's 2026 season has been defined by frustration, and his last-minute withdrawal from the Washington Open only deepened that narrative. The British star, dealing with a combination of bone bruising on his arm and a knee injury picked up during the clay court swing, pulled out despite showing encouraging signs in practice. A dominant practice set victory over Ben Shelton and the relaunch of his partnership with coach Andy Murray had raised hopes, making the withdrawal all the more difficult to stomach.
Boris Becker voiced his bewilderment on social media, pointing out that Draper had looked sharp in training just the day before. The Washington Open had also passed over other high-profile wildcard requests to accommodate Draper, making the late scratch particularly costly for organizers.
Draper now sits outside the top 100, which would ordinarily force him into US Open qualifying. However, there is a compelling reason why that route may not be his path to New York. He has already been confirmed for the US Open Mixed Doubles, partnering again with Jessica Pegula after their run to the semifinals at the inaugural edition in 2025. Since doubles takes place during the qualifying week, playing both simultaneously would be nearly impossible, strongly hinting that the USTA may already be planning to hand him a singles wildcard.
His record in New York makes a compelling case. Draper boasts a remarkable 79 percent winning rate at the US Open, and in 2024 he reached the semifinals, defeating Alex de Minaur, Tomas Machac, and Botic van de Zandschulp before falling to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
With his next competitive appearance expected at the Brownsburg Challenger in mid-August, Draper is racing to find form. TennisDraw users will want to keep a close eye on his fitness updates before locking in their US Open bracket picks.
