Australian Open 2025: Why Jack Draper had to retire against Carlos Alcaraz
2025-01-19
Category: sports

Australian Open 2025Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne ParkCoverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
Not for the first time in his career, Jack Draper has been forced to retire from a Grand Slam match because of physical issues.The British number one decided it was "sensible" to quit when he trailed Carlos Alcaraz 7-5 6-1 in the Australian Open fourth round on Sunday.Draper, 23, came into the first major of the season underprepared after his off-season was ruined by a hip injury.But he still outlasted three successive opponents in Melbourne five-set matches to set up a meeting with Spanish third seed Alcaraz.Following a deflating exit, BBC Sport examines why Draper was forced to quit again and whether there is anything to be concerned about longer term.
How badly were his preparations affected?
Draper enjoyed the finest year of his career in 2024 - winning his first ATP titles, becoming British number one and reaching the US Open semi-finals - and was looking forward to further improving his physical robustness before the start of the 2025 season.But his hip injury, which Draper says flared up after a "week of pre-season" in December, ended those plans."Essentially I had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to get an MRI to look at," he said."I have had a history of problems in that area and it hasn't gone away. I'm still dealing with that."In pre-season, it went into my back and I couldn't walk. It was really difficult."Draper said he was unable to play for "about two to three weeks" before flying to Australia between Christmas and New Year.He began hitting again at Melbourne Park before playing practice sets against Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner in the days leading up to his opening match."You have to feel so sorry for him," former British number one Annabel Croft said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra."Each time he comes back there's a setback and you lose that momentum and training time."A lot of players put their year into blocks, of competition, rest and training, and he's being compromised all the time because his body is letting him down."
Does Draper have a reputation for quitting?
There was a time not too long ago when the left-handed Englishman "hated" being known as "the guy who is injured a lot".The comment came after he retired from his main-draw debut at the 2023 French Open because of a shoulder injury.Since making his ATP debut in 2021, Draper has retired injured from eight Tour-level matches - including three at majors.In the same timeframe, Alcaraz has stopped on three occasions - and only once since October 2022.Roger Federer famously never retired in a 25-year career spanning 1,750 matches.Asked if he was worried about getting a reputation, Draper said: "Not particularly, because I've barely done that in the last 18 months."I give my absolute all for every match and if I feel like an injury is going to have a long-term effect on me, I try and make the right decisions."
How is Draper trying to improve?
Despite having to call it a day against Alcaraz, it is clear Draper's durability has improved.Before this year's Australian Open he had never played back-to-back matches which went all the way to a fifth set.In the past week he has played three in a row, totalling 12 hours and 34 minutes on court - and won them all.The robustness he has added has been the product of hard graft with his physical trainer Steve Kotze - who he calls the "best in the world" - and physio Will Herbert.Draper has also sought professional advice to overcome the anxiety issues which led to him vomiting on court in his US Open semi-final defeat by Sinner in September.He has been seeing what he describes as a "breathing coach" - learning to exhale more through his nose than his mouth, which is helping him "not be too uptight" in pressure moments and "go for longer" in sapping matches."My body hasn't been exactly where I've wanted it to be over my career so far, but I feel I've been making incredibly positive strides," Draper said."It's only a matter of time until I get it all right and it all comes together, and I can be more and more resilient."This week, although I've had to pull out it's been a really good example â I'm at a stage where I can deal with more and more."
Is there risk of long-term damage?
Hip injuries are a common problem because of the physicality of modern tennis where shot-making is increasingly explosive and movement needs to be even sharper.Andy Murray, Draper's idol, famously needed two hip surgeries, but while Draper admits he might have to "manage" the area over the rest of his career, he is not worried about any potential long-term effects just yet.Making "smart decisions" will be key - including tough ones like stopping against Alcaraz.He has already decided to skip Britain's Davis Cup tie in Japan on 31 January and plans to resume his season the following week at a ATP 500 event in Rotterdam."Everything is load management," said Draper."The key is having that consistent time where you're injury-free - having time to train, time to get your body right. "If you're dealing with injuries and playing through pain and taking painkillers, then it's not ideal."It's important for me to get my training load back up again and get this tendinitis sorted so I can be consistent with everything I'm doing again."