Jack Draper, the world No. 10 men's tennis player from Britain, will miss the first major tournament of next year due to injury.
"Unfortunately, after discussions with my team, I have decided not to compete in the Australian Open next year," Draper said in a video posted on social media Friday.
"I am dealing with the most difficult and complicated injury of my career," he said. "I am in the final stages of rehabilitation, but I decided it would not be a wise decision to enter a major tournament that requires five-set matches right away."
This season, Draper defeated Holger Rune of Denmark in the final of the Indian Wells Masters in March to claim his first Masters 1000 series title, then finished runner-up at the Madrid Masters the following month.
His ranking rose to as high as No. 4 in June.
However, an arm injury he had been carrying since April worsened in the second half of the season, causing pain that affected his performance. His results naturally suffered. Despite continuing to compete, the injury worsened ahead of the second round of the US Open in August, forcing him to withdraw.
With his withdrawal from the Australian Open, Draper's absence from competition will extend to five months.
