But I’m on the optimistic version that the form’s gonna happen and we’re gonna find out this week in Washington where he’s at," said Rusedski.
Rusedski recalled Draper's past accomplishments, including winning Indian Wells and making the Madrid Open final, as evidence of his high potential.
"Don’t forget, Jack was the guy everybody was talking about to mix it up with (Carlos) Alcaraz, (Jannik) Sinner and (Novak) Djokovic, and he was on the cusp of being in there," said Rusedski.
He concluded that tournament organizers will heavily weigh Draper's natural talent when granting wildcards.
"He won Indian Wells and reached the finals in Madrid. And then he’s had a horrid year where he hasn’t been able to play.
So the USTA will look at it because what they gotta remember is if Jack’s healthy, he’s one of the biggest names in tennis," said Rusedski.
Rusedski reiterated his hope that Draper could remain healthy for the remainder of the hard-court swing.
"He’s too big of a talent not to be out there.
Let’s see how many weeks he can go through and hopefully he runs all the way through US Open and we don’t have to talk about injuries anymore," said Rusedski.
Previous statements from Draper during Wimbledon reflected his mindset on overcoming his current ranking decline.
"‘You always have to look at the positive side of things. I have to rebuild myself and I have to start again almost,’" said Draper.
Public statements made by Draper following his initial withdrawal from Wimbledon underlined his deep disappointment with his physical condition.
"I’m devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury," said Draper.
He described that decision as the most challenging moment of his injury-plagued season.
"There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months, but this one is definitely the absolute worst," said Draper.
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Draper has also registered for the ATP Brownsburg Challenger in Indiana from August 10–16 to gain match practice before the US Open begins on August 30, 2026.
