Jack Draper is set to play his first tournament since Wimbledon in the coming days, jumping straight from Grand Slam to Grand Slam as the US Open gets underway.
This is not the way in which he would have wanted to tackle the summer, but injury prevented him from being able to do anything else.
The extent of that ailment has remained somewhat uncertain, with few really understanding what the issue was, and why it had written him off for so long.
His match on Monday will mark his first in the singles format in nearly two months.
Speaking ahead of his return to US Open action, he has now revealed what the injury was and whether it is still bothering him.
Jack Draper provides an update on his injury
Chatting with the press, Jack Draper was rather honest when asked to assess his fitness.
However, he did make a few conflicting comments that some reporters have called into question.
After all, whilst he did admit that he still feels some pain, the 23-year-old also insisted he was ready to knuckle down and play through it, which hardly inspires confidence.
Draper would then go on to say: “It was something I was playing through for a while. You know, [I] first started feeling it probably towards the middle of the clay season.
“I felt like my arm was shutting down a little bit when I was hitting forehands and on the serve, as well. It got progressively a bit worse.
“Then on the grass it got quite painful. So I didn’t know what I was kind of dealing with. After the grass, you know, I got it checked out. I had some bone stress, bone bruising, in my humerus on my left side.
“It is one of those where, yeah, if you keep playing with it, it could become very, very serious. So I had to take some time out.”
Jack Draper explains why he has switched from Nike to Vuori
Whilst his injury is naturally the chief talking point heading into the US Open, Draper’s switch of sponsor has also drawn interest.
After all, opting to jump from Nike to the far lesser-known Vuori has turned some heads.
Seeking to explain his decision, the British number one admitted: “I’ve always been someone who’s been a bit different, and I wanted to go with a brand that’s a bit unique.
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
“Honestly, I hadn’t heard loads and loads about Vuori’s clothing before, but the material, as soon as I got it, I didn’t want to take it off.”
Reportedly, Draper also had offers from both Nike and Lacoste, but Forbes reports that his deal with Vuori is set to rival some of the priciest that the former sportswear giant offers within tennis.
Draper debuted his kit playing alongside Jessica Pegula in the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles format.