Hours after Emma Raducanu withdrew from Wimbledon, a ‘devastated’ Jack Draper has done the same.
The former world No4 was set to face Taylor Fritz in a blockbuster opening round match on Tuesday – with supercoach Andy Murray in his corner – but on Monday afternoon he pulled out as his bone bruising injury in his left arm flared up again.
‘Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury. There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon. I will continue to persevere through this. Thank you for the support!!’
It is the final blow in a horrendous year for Draper – he came into Wimbledon last year as the No4 seed but has barely played since, due to a combination of the arm injury and tendinitis in his knee.
Jack Draper has dropped out of Wimbledon on a nightmare first day for British tennis stars
He returned at the Eastbourne Open, playing his first matches since April, and looked fighting fit with a run to the semi-finals. Speaking before that event, it was put to him that he was rushing back just so he could play Wimbledon, but he was unequivocal. ‘No, I’m not playing because it’s the grass season,’ he said. ‘I’m coming back at the point where I’m going to stay on court from now on.’
But he later added: ‘These injuries are just so complicated. Who knows, it might never go away.’
Even as he sounded that note of caution, Draper would not in his worst nightmares have imagined that the arm issue would rear its head again so soon.
Once again, Draper faces a return to the mind-numbing, spirit-sapping grind of rehab.
