Jack Draper’s ruinous season reached a new low this week when the entry list for the US Open was published without his name on it. The Briton has slid to No. 147 in the world, well beyond the cut for direct acceptance, and will need either a wildcard from the United States Tennis Association or three wins in qualifying to reach the main draw at Flushing Meadows, which begins on 30 August.
He sits on the alternate list with more than forty players ahead of him in the queue — a position that, barring an implausible cascade of withdrawals, offers no realistic route in. The ranking tells the story of a year lost to the treatment room rather than any decline in ability. Draper reached a career high of No. 4 last summer before a complex bone bruise in his left arm cost him the 2025 US Open and then swallowed most of this season.
He missed the Australian Open with the same problem, picked up a knee injury during the build-up to Roland Garros, and returned at Eastbourne in June to reach the semi-finals — only for the arm to flare again and force him out of Wimbledon days before his opening match against Taylor Fritz. In total he has played thirteen tour-level matches in 2026.
There is still time to move. Draper is entered for the Washington DC Open next week and has also signed up for a Challenger event in Brownsburg, and a decent fortnight would lift him a handful of places. It would not be nearly enough to close a gap of nearly fifty spots, but it would strengthen a wildcard case that already looks compelling on merit alone.
He is not the only former top-five player left waiting. Grigor Dimitrov, once ranked No. 3, is at No. 142 after a long recovery from the torn pectoral muscle he suffered at Wimbledon in 2025 and a season of poor results either side of it. Dimitrov was given a wildcard at the All England Club last month and repaid it by reaching the fourth round before losing to Arthur Fery.
Stan Wawrinka, a three-time major champion, Alexei Popyrin and Reilly Opelka are also absent from the direct entries. World No. 101 Francisco Comesaña was the last man to squeeze in. That quartet of names — Draper, Dimitrov, Wawrinka, Opelka — will now shape one of the more difficult wildcard decisions the USTA has faced in years, given that such places are usually reserved for emerging Americans.
The picture is happier elsewhere on the British list. Emma Raducanu keeps her place despite not having competed since withdrawing from Wimbledon with a stress fracture in her leg, her ranking still comfortably inside the cut. And Fery, who came through as a wild card to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, has earned direct entry to a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
At the top of the men’s list, Jannik Sinner is entered as the world No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion, alongside Roland Garros winner Alexander Zverev. Carlos Alcaraz appears as the No. 3 and defending champion, despite having not played a competitive match since injuring his right wrist in Barcelona in April; his camp is targeting a return at the Cincinnati Masters in mid-August. Thanasi Kokkinakis, Juncheng Shang and Filip Misolic are all in on protected rankings.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka heads the field as the two-time defending champion and will attempt to become the first woman since Serena Williams a decade ago to win three consecutive titles in New York. Zheng Qinwen, the Olympic gold medallist, is the most notable absentee, with Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Mboko and Markéta Vondroušová also missing out.
Wildcards for both draws are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.
Not yet. Draper is not in the direct entry list and would need a wildcard from the USTA or to come through three rounds of qualifying.
His ranking has fallen to No. 147 after arm and knee injuries limited him to thirteen tour-level matches in 2026. Direct entry closed at No. 101
No. 147, down from a career high of No. 4 last summer.
Yes. Raducanu holds direct entry despite not having competed since withdrawing from Wimbledon with a leg stress fracture.
The USTA is expected to confirm main-draw wildcards in the weeks before the tournament, which starts on 30 August.
