In early December, world number 10 Draper also pulled out of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) grand final in London, citing his frustration at not being “quite ready”.
Draper first felt discomfort in his upper left serving arm during the clay-court season in the spring, and while he attempted to return at the US Open in late August – playing alongside Jessica Pegula in the mixed doubles and winning his first-round match in the singles – he withdrew from the tournament because of the discomfort.
He continued: “Obviously, with Australia being a Grand Slam, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in our sport.
“However, I’ve had this injury for a long time. I’m at the very, very end stages of the [recovery] process and to step back on court into best-of-five-set tennis so soon just doesn’t seem like a smart decision right now for me and my tennis.
“I’ve obviously been through a fair amount of setbacks but by far, this one has been the most difficult, the most challenging, the most complex one that I’ve had.”
Draper performed strongly in the first part of the year, reaching a career-high world ranking of four in June and also securing a maiden Masters 1000 title with victory over Denmark’s Holger Rune in the Indian Wells final in March.