Jack Draper sparked controversy when he received a wild card to this week’s Washington Open before being forced to pull out on the eve of the event.
The former British No 1, who has seen his ATP Ranking slip to No 147 after he reached a career-high of No 4 a little over year ago due to an ongoing arm injury, issued an emotional statement after he was forced to pull out of Washington after speaking positively about his form in pre-tournament interviews.
The withdrawal left question marks over whether Draper would play the rest of the North American hard court swing and whether he would be fit for next month’s US Open, but he is aiming make a quick return to action after accepting a wildcard to next week’s ATP 1000 event in Montreal.
“Tennis Canada has announced that former World No. 4 Jack Draper (Great Britain), Alexis Galarneau (Laval, QC) and Liam Draxl (Newmarket, ON), winner of the 2026 Road to the NBO, were awarded the final wild cards into the main draw of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal,” read a statement on the tournament’s website.
While Draper’s eagerness to accept a wild card should be seen as positive news for his comeback hopes, the reaction on X to the post confirming the news was less than positive with some replies suggesting other players were more worthy.
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That sentiment seems a little harsh because if Draper can find his fitness and form, he would be a huge draw for the fans to cheer on in Canada.
It would also suggest his latest withdrawal is not as serious as some have suggested, with Draper’s comments as he confirmed his decision not to play in Washington laced with positive sentiments.
“These last months have felt like nothing but adversity and setbacks,” Draper wrote on Instagram shortly after his withdrawal was announced.
“Most days I’ve spent in doubt, yet hopeful that I can keep taking positive steps forward and finding ways to progress.
“Being patient with the process has been my biggest challenge, but I know I’m getting closer to where I want to be.”
Draper also received support from a former British No 1 for his tournaments continuing to give him wild cards, with Greg Rusedski convinced the 2025 Indian Wells Masters champion should also get entry to the US Open main draw.
Draper’s ranking does not gain him entry into Grand Slam events and he may have to enter qualifying unless new USTA chief Craig Tiley and his committee give him a prized wildcard for the US Open.
Those wildcards are primarily reserved for youthful US players, but Rusedski believes Tiley will see the benefit of handing Draper a ticket to play at Flushing Meadows.
“Craig is a smart man and you need to keep the top players happy,” said Rusedski, in an extract of the latest episode of his podcast published exclusively on Tennis365.
“If Jack is healthy with Andy Murray, that still creates a lot of buzz in America if you have that relationship in New York.
“So if the form’s there, yes, he should get a wildcard. If the form isn’t there, then it’s a no. But I’m on the optimistic version that the form’s gonna happen and we’re gonna find out this week in Washington where he’s at.
“Don’t forget, Jack was the guy everybody was talking about to mix it up with (Carlos) Alcaraz, (Jannik) Sinner and (Novak) Djokovic and he was on the cusp of being in there.
“He won Indian Wells and reached the finals in Madrid. And then he’s had a horrid year where he hasn’t been able to play. So the USTA will look at it because what they gotta remember is if Jack’s healthy, he’s one of the biggest names in tennis.
“He’s too big of a talent not to be out there. Let’s see how many weeks he can go through and hopefully he runs all the way through US Open and we don’t have to talk about injuries anymore.”
Rusedski also backed Murray to add a new dimension to Draper’s game, as he welcomed the extension of their player-coach partnership.
“I heard the rumour was Andy’s probably gonna do ten or twelve weeks with him, even though it was only supposed to be a trial until the end of Wimbledon,” he added.
“Andy brings great experience. He’s won majors, he’s come back from injuries. He’s our best British tennis player in the open era by far. So it’s great to see Andy there with him trying to guide him through this difficult period.
“Jack looks very good in practice. It’s a question of whether the pop is there on the serve? Is he going to be able to sustain his fitness?
“So fingers crossed that he can start winning some matches. Health is your wealth and if he’s healthy, the combination with Murray could work out really well.
“Long term, if Andy is not there for every event, they’re probably gonna have to bring in a second coach. That’s the reality of it, if Jack ends up being able to be healthy and play back-to-back weeks and play a normal schedule. So fingers crossed for Jack. We need him back. We need him back to his best.”
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