Jack Draper will be out of action until at least the end of Roland Garros after picking up a knee injury at the Barcelona Open.
The Brit, who previously missed five months following bone bruising in his arm after the 2025 US Open, has again found himself on the sidelines.
He has since withdrawn from Madrid, Rome, Hamburg and Roland Garros, meaning he will play no part in this year’s clay season.
Speaking to Tennis 365, Del Potro was asked if he thinks Draper can close the gap on Sinner and Alcaraz. “Yeah, why not? I know how difficult it is to deal with injuries. But he has the game. He did it (challenge Alcaraz and Sinner) already.
“So, if his body allows him to play without pain and he starts to get confidence again in his body, I think he can be one of these guys who you have to take care of in the draw.”
Sabatini said: “He has some great potential. I mean, he’s already a great player. We have seen that at the [2024] US Open.
“He can do a lot of damage with his game, so hopefully he will be okay with his injuries. And I’m sure he’s another player who will be there at the top.”
Last season, Draper climbed as high as No. 4 in the world, but his time away from the game due to injury led to a significant drop in his ranking.
He began 2026 ranked 10th and fell even further during his absence before making his return at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
Draper saw a slight bump after picking up a win in Dubai, moving from 13th to 12th. But he slipped out of the top 20 for the first time since August 2024 following an early exit at Indian Wells, where he had been defending champion points.
His ranking took another major hit after missing Madrid, where he was a finalist last year, dropping him down to world No. 50 and putting his Wimbledon seeding under serious threat. According to the live ATP rankings, Draper currently sits at No. 73.
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