The Last Mystery of Jack Draper

Carlos Navarro - 23 Oct 2026 | 10:05
Jack Draper ATP Tierra Batida

The Brit has been seen training in Rio de Janeiro in recent weeks with a renewed aesthetic, raising all sorts of speculation.

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Draper and a new great mystery surrounding him.

Jack Draper has been one of the significant continuous absences in the ATP circuit throughout 2026. The start of the season marked the return of one of the most promising players in the tennis landscape, and the British player was able to showcase all his talent in events like Indian Wells, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in a fantastic match and reached the quarter-finals, or Eastbourne, where he reached the semi-finals with little prior preparation. None of that matters now: constant physical issues and a sense of fragility left the Englishman out of action prematurely, ruling him out for the final stretch of 2026.

His last injury was a bone edema in his arm, which added to ongoing knee problems, interrupting his season every time he gained some momentum. We haven't seen Jack on court since the Cincinnati tournament, where he suffered a painful defeat against Martín Landaluce in his debut. It was the final straw, leaving us with very tough images, with Draper breaking down in tears upon realizing he was still not in optimal condition to play tennis. Since Jack announced he wouldn't compete anymore this season a little over a month ago, we haven't heard anything from him... and his return to the media spotlight surrounds us with a fog of doubts, uncertainty, and news we certainly did not expect.

Draper is seen again... training on clay

The British player's latest appearance, spotted by fans, leaves mixed conclusions, with reasons to cling to optimism, but also to think that the 2027 Australian Open is not a goal for him. The good news? Jack is back on court and seems fully focused on making a strong return. What raises doubts? That this training is taking place on the other side of the world... and on a completely different surface from that of the year's first Grand Slam.

Draper is currently in Brazil, specifically in Rio de Janeiro, where he showcased on social media visiting the favelas and doing a bit of tourism. Vacation, perhaps? Far from it: several fans spotted him training at the Ipanema Country Club, along with his entire team and practicing his serve. We see a Jack who has lost some muscle mass, looking leaner, as if he is seeking answers to the questions his body poses... all of this on clay, a surface on which he has barely played a match this season.

Some Brazilian fans speculated that it was Joao Fonseca who invited the Brit to spend time at his house and share training sessions, although we haven't seen them together yet; Jack is not allergic to clay, having logged mileage on this surface while going through the Challenger circuit (meaning he is not the typical player who chooses to skip this surface whenever possible), but it's surprising to see him training here in mid-October, with no clay court tournaments in sight and the Australian Open as the supposed primary objective of the year. Is it a sign that we will see Draper on the South American clay tour? Has he stopped thinking about the year's first Slam? 

Perhaps the answer is much simpler, and Draper is just taking advantage of a trip to Brazil to log some court time, to test certain elements of his tennis regardless of the surface. Still, it is a new and surprising twist in the midst of a period of introspection and calm where he will seek to find the remedies to allow his body to compete at the highest level. Will he find that relief in Carioca lands? Perhaps we will find those answers soon.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El último misterio de Jack Draper