Leading injury prevention and athlete welfare specialist Stephen Smith has discussed Jack Draper’s continuing battle with an arm injury in an interview with Tennis365.

Draper has been dealing with a bruised humerus in his left arm for more than a year, and his 2026 campaign has also included a spell out during the clay-court season because of a right knee problem. Since losing to Marin Cilic in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, the British player has appeared in only 16 matches over the past 13 months. After climbing to a career-best world No 4 in June last year during a strong opening half of the 2025 season, he is now ranked 143rd.

His latest return came at the Canadian Open earlier this month, where he fell in the opening round to Terence Atmane. During the third set, Draper’s serve speed dropped sharply, and he was seen in tears during a changeover while trailing 1-4. He then lost 6-3, 7-5 to Martin Landaluce in the first round of the Cincinnati Open on Thursday. In that match, he was unable to convert six set points in the second set and dropped the final five games after leading 5-2.

Smith, who founded and leads Kitman Labs, said prolonged bone bruising is not unusual.

“I wouldn’t say it’s uncommon,” said Smith.

He added that the serve-speed drop was a clear sign of trouble and warned against overloading the injury.

“What would happen if you keep overloading that is it could end up resulting in a stress fracture, as well. You can’t accelerate that biological process too much. You manage your load around it.”

Smith also stressed the need for careful monitoring and said rest alone may not solve the issue.

“Even rest alone doesn’t solve these things. Okay, the symptoms might resolve, but then you go straight back out there and you go from 0 to 100 miles an hour in terms of the demands that are placed on you — and that’s what’s causing some of this,” Smith said.

He also highlighted the mental strain of repeated injury setbacks.

“Massively. It’s so hard.”

American tennis left Canada with real ranking momentum after Ben Shelton’s title run, Brandon Nakashima’s runner-up finish and Learner Tien’s semi-final result all produced upward movement in the ATP standings.

Shelton’s week in Montreal stood out for more than the trophy. After a disappointing summer that included early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, the 23-year-old defended his Canadian Open crown with authority and did not lose a set. With the US Open coming into view, the left-hander said he sees the result as an important step forward.

He said in his post-match press conference, “For me, this week was a massive stepping stone; I would say even more than what I did in Toronto last year because of the way that I did it. I thought I was much more clinical, more focused.

“I was an elite returner at times. But the way that I was able to break serve, the fashion in which I did it, my ability to play defence and offence, I’m excited with the way that I’m progressing. Throughout this season on the hardcourts, I felt that each tournament I’ve gotten better and better.

“And obviously we’re still early in this US Open swing and have a lot of hard court tennis to play through the rest of the year. So I’m just really looking forward to see what kind of damage I can do moving forward.”

The official rankings reflect that progress. Nakashima has climbed nine spots to 22nd, Tien has moved from 19th to 12th, and Shelton is up four places to sixth. That return to sixth also makes Shelton the American No 1 again, moving him ahead of Taylor Fritz.

Elsewhere, Rafael Jodar rose four places to 11th, while Daniel Merida surged 23 positions to 40th. Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul both slipped three spots, to 23rd and 24th respectively.

In the live rankings, Alexander Zverev has once again moved ahead of the injured Carlos Alcaraz, who will not defend his Cincinnati crown because of an ongoing wrist injury. Jannik Sinner is also absent with a knee issue, leaving the field open.

For the official ATP Ranking list, see below.

Ben Shelton says he “loves” the pursuit of catching Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after successfully defending his Canadian Open crown.

The 23-year-old backed up last year’s breakthrough Masters 1000 triumph in Toronto with another commanding run, closing out Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4) in Thursday’s final in Montreal.

That result made Shelton the fourth man this century to defend the Canada title, joining Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. It also came without the loss of a set, a striking turnaround after difficult exits at the French Open and Wimbledon earlier in the season.

The left-hander has climbed back to sixth in the ATP Tour rankings and has moved ahead of compatriot Taylor Fritz to become the American No 1.

Although Shelton lifted the trophy without having to go through Sinner, Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic, he made clear that he views them as the standard he wants to meet.

When asked how much confidence does this title win give him to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz, he replied, “Yeah. I think it’s a constant process for me. I love having people out in front of me that I can chase.

“It’s been that way my whole career. I’ve never just been the best. I’ve always been chasing the best. Been a little bit behind, you could say, in my progression, and I think that’s pushed me in every aspect of my tennis game.

“And, you know, I’ll continue to work, to chase the guys that are in front of me. Obviously try to stay ahead of these young guys that are coming out on tour.

“I played a lot of young guys this week. The future of the sport, really, really high-quality players, and they’re not stopping. There’s so many more that are coming up.

“So I think that tennis is a game that you gotta keep improving or you get passed up, you get left in the dust. And so my job with the gifts that I have is to try to maximize, do as much as I can in the sport, become the best version of myself, and that’s where my focus lies.”

Shelton heads into Cincinnati as one of the leading names in the draw, with Sinner and Alcaraz both sidelined by knee and wrist injuries, respectively. He said the Montreal title was an important step, and felt his returning stood out as much as his serve.

“For me this week was a massive stepping stone, I would say even more than what I did in Toronto last year because the way that I did it.

“I thought I was much more clinical, more focused. I was an elite returner at times. But the way that I was able to break serve, the fashion in which I did it, my ability to play defence and offense, I’m excited with the way that I’m progressing.

“Throughout this season on the hardcourts I felt that each tournament I’ve gotten better and better. And obviously we’re still early in this US Open swing and have a lot of hard court tennis to play through the rest of the year. So I’m just really looking forward to see what kind of damage I can do moving forward.”