Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport senior tennis reporter in New York
It had been tough to evaluate how critical Draper’s arm damage was throughout his time in New York.
Initially he was upbeat about his restoration, insisting he was able to go and wouldn’t be holding again in his first-round match.
However there have been clues that it was extra of an issue than he had been letting on.
Draper didn’t go full throttle along with his serve throughout the match towards Gomez, counting on precision and endurance as a substitute of energy.
In a information convention on Monday, Draper – who has a fame as an open and trustworthy talker – spoke extra in regards to the setbacks he had encountered in his restoration, however mentioned he was assured of doing no extra harm right here.
So what has modified over the previous 48 hours?
We all know he practised at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday after his opening win – seemingly testing out his taking part in arm by leathering some forehands – and in addition hit on Wednesday morning.
This robust determination could have ramifications for his rating. He’s prone to drop out of the highest 10 when his factors from final 12 months’s run to the semi-finals fall away.
It’s going to additionally hamper his possibilities of taking part in on the season-ending ATP Finals, particularly if he has to take one other prolonged break to resolve the difficulty.
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