Jack Draper has postponed his return from an arm injury, withdrawing from this weekend’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown grand final in London.

The British number one has managed only one singles match since Wimbledon and had hoped the event would help him prepare for a January return to the tour. Instead, doctors have advised him to give his arm more time to heal. The competition takes place at the Copper Box Arena from 5 to 7 December.

Draper first noticed discomfort in his left serving arm during the spring clay court season. After scans following Wimbledon, he avoided serving for a month. He attempted a comeback at the US Open, playing mixed doubles with Jessica Pegula and winning his opening singles match before withdrawing due to persistent pain.

This week’s London event would have offered Draper at least three short matches against top 20 players including Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Andrey Rublev. He had received a wildcard from UTS founder Patrick Mouratoglou, who has previously warned of the risks of returning too quickly from this type of injury.

In early November, Draper shared video of himself practicing forehands at London’s National Tennis Centre, wearing a compression sleeve on his left arm. His next scheduled outing is for Great Britain at the United Cup in Perth in early January, ahead of the Australian Open starting 18 January in Melbourne.

Draper reached a career high world ranking of four in June and currently sits at 10, following a remarkable first half of the year that included his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.