Jack Draper has a problem: "Either he changes, or he could have a very short career"

After five great months, Jack Draper has once again paid the toll of wear and injuries in this 2025 season. Why does the British player always end up stumbling over the same stone? An expert is going to help us understand.

His name is Stephen Smith, an expert in athlete well-being and injury prevention in high-level competition, a person with a super interesting discourse who was invited by the colleagues at Tennis 365 to discuss Jack Draper and his recurring issues with injuries. Is the British player doing something wrong to have so many problems in his career? What risks could he face if he doesn't change the mechanics of his technical gesture? Stay tuned because the issue is more serious than it seems.

"Studying Draper's case, I would say that we are facing a case of repetitive strain," the specialist headlines before delving into his reflections. "Due to the way his joints turn and the manner in which the bones receive those movements over and over, it is very likely that all this comes from that combination he has of service and forehand. This causes bone hematomas due to a repetitive movement like his, requiring a significant amount of rest because in the end, it ends up behaving as if it were a fracture," he points out, assuming that this end-of-season break was essential.

"There is even a risk of breaking a bone, so it is advisable to take it very seriously as it can be dangerous. If you return to competition before the estimated time and keep hitting the ball in the same way, the areas will become inflamed again, the pain will become increasingly intense, to the point of reaching a limit where the player may suffer a stress fracture. That's why these issues are usually treated as if they were fractures; you need a break of 6-8 weeks, to cease activity until fully recovered," summarizes the founder of Kitman Labs, the world's leading company in sports science and data.

But let's get to what is truly interesting: how can you circumvent all these dangers? "There is a possibility that he may need to change the way he moves, his way of hitting. I now understand that he must be going through a period of absolute rest, in addition to the corresponding rehabilitation, where he can take the opportunity to reprogram certain movements and ensure that the likelihood of a similar incident is reduced," he evaluates from a distance.

Draper could suffer the same problem as Del Potro

While reading the previous paragraphs, surely some will have vaguely recalled the case of Juan Martín del Potro and how his playing style and striking technique ended up causing problems in his wrists that could only be resolved through multiple surgeries. According to some informed voices, Jack Draper's case could have a similar outcome, a perspective that Dr. Stephen Smith also endorses.

"I think a lot about Juan Martín del Potro, another incredible talent, a player who had one of the most powerful forehands we have seen in this sport, but ultimately his greatest strength turned out to be his biggest problem. He went through all those wrist issues, underwent all those surgeries, but the root problem was not there," declares the Irishman, who virtually pushes Draper to make a radical change.

"I am concerned about his case; it is a sign that something from a management perspective is probably failing. I do not know if it is a lack of factors, excessive force, optimal conditioning work, or it may be a simple adjustment of how the schedule is being programmed or how training sessions are being coordinated. With the injury history he has at his age, Jack needs to be aware that something has to change, or he will end up having a very short career," he concludes.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jack Draper tiene un problema: “O cambia, o podría tener una carrera muy corta”