Draper pulls out of UTS final as he delays return

In order to avoid missing this weekend’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) grand final in London, Jack Draper has delayed his recovery from an arm injury.

The British number one has only played one singles match since Wimbledon, and he hoped to make another appearance on the tour in January.

The 23-year-old claimed in a social media post that he had been given a recommendation to practice more rather than compete in the 5 to 7 December event at the Copper Box Arena.

“I’ve been working hard to get ready for the UTS, but I’m just not quite ready,” Draper said.

“It’s a tough call because I only want to compete, but I’ve given you advice to wait longer.” Sorry to disappoint the fans who missed the event.

After undergoing a scan after Wimbledon, Draper did not hit any serves for a month at first during the clay court season in spring.

He attempted to play again at the US Open in late August, but he withdrew because of the discomfort and joined Jessica Pegula in the mixed doubles.

At least three short matches, four eight-minute quarters, and competition from fellow top-20 players Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Andrey Rublev would have been available for Draper at this week’s three-day event in London.

Draper’s founder, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave him a wildcard entry into the UTS competition.

While confident in his ability to play, Draper did point out the danger of returning too quickly from a similar injury in an interview with BBC Sport in October.

Because the next stage is a stress fracture, you can’t take the chance of developing a stress fracture, Mouratoglou said.

“You can do a lot of exercise to stay in shape when you have a bone bruise on your arm.” You have to stop completely and wait until it is completely clean before doing anything.

In early November, Draper, who had a compression sleeve on his left arm, recorded himself hitting forehands at the National Tennis Centre in London.

In the first week of January, he will make his first appearance for Great Britain in Perth’s United Cup team competition.

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the new year, will take place in Melbourne on January 18.