Jack Draper has withdrawn from Wimbledon just a day before he was set to play his first-round match. The 24-year-old British No3 had made a return to tennis after battling a recurring arm injury over the past 12 months. He made a comeback at the Eastbourne Open last week, reaching the semi-finals on the Sussex coast before losing to Ugo Humbert. He arrived at the All England Club on Sunday, insisting that he felt good and that his injury had subsided, but he announced on social media on Monday that the niggle had flared up once more and that he would not be able to partake in his first-round encounter with Taylor Fritz, which had been scheduled for a Centre Court slot on Tuesday.
Draper's Statement on Withdrawal
“Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” Draper said. “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.”
Draper's Recent Struggles
Draper, the British No3, had been hoping to make a statement return to Grand Slam action in SW19, having been stunned by Marin Cilic in the second round last year, when he was the fourth seed. This time around, however, he came into the draw unseeded, having slipped to No160 in the world rankings after a year of injury hell. He had revealed at Eastbourne last week that he had also been battling knee tendonitis, and in his run to the semi-finals of Queen’s Club last year, he suffered a bout of tonsillitis.
Impact on British Tennis
Draper’s withdrawal follows compatriot Emma Raducanu’s last-minute pull-out, after the British No1, seeded 30 at this year’s Championships, announced that she had suffered a stress fracture in her right leg. Raducanu had also insisted earlier on Sunday that she would be doing everything she could to play her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic, despite managing an ongoing niggle that forced her to cut short her practice session on Saturday, where she was seen with heavy strapping on her lower leg.
