Jack Draper has announced his withdrawal from this year’s French Open due to issues with a knee tendon which forced him to retire in Barcelona earlier this month.
The former British No 1 believes that attempting the Grand Slam five-set format on clay could hamper his recovery, with Draper instead targeting a return at the start of the grass court season in either Stuttgart or London, at Queens Club.
Draper shared a poignant note on social media saying that he was ‘gutted’ to be missing his second major of the year.
‘My knee is on the mend and I’ve started back hitting balls but unfortunately I have been advised not to play Roland Garros,’ Draper wrote.
‘As gutting as it is to miss another slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five-set tennis on clay.
‘Off the back of the arm injury I sustained last year, I’ve been restricted with my training and by giving myself the time to heal and build, I can be the player I want to be out there once again. See you soon!’
Jack Draper has confirmed that he will be ending his clay season after playing just one match
In the wake of claiming his first Masters title at Indian Wells last season – and rising to a career-high ranking of world No 4 – Draper has seen his meteoric rise hampered by injury.
As a result, after this year’s tournament in Paris, the Briton will fall out of the top 100-ranked players.
Last September, the 24-year-old had to withdraw ahead of his US Open second-round match against Zizou Bergs due to a bruised bone on his serving arm, ending his season prematurely.
After six months on the sidelines, Draper returned to action in Dubai this February, but has played just eight matches – including one walkover – on tour since.
In his earlier statement confirming his withdrawal from Barcelona, Draper had previously vowed to ‘work his way out’ of this difficult moment which has tested his positivity.
Persistent injuries will feel all the more frustrating in light of the Briton’s prodigious talent, which has seen him discussed as a credible threat to the sport’s two young supernovas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Former world No 3 Juan Martin del Potro, whose own career was diminished by injury, was among those to lament Draper’s physical misfortunes.
‘Well, as a lefty player, he has an advantage over the rest of the players,’ Del Potro told Sky Sports last week. ‘Draper is a talented player as well, but sometimes the body could be the worst thing in your career.’
Draper’s withdrawal comes amid a similarly torrid time for his compatriot Emma Raducanu, who has not played since last month’s Miami Open.
Although the 2021 US Open champion has not formally confirmed her withdrawal from Roland-Garros next month, Raducanu is yet to play on clay this season as she continues to recover from a viral illness she was diagnosed with in February.