Jack Draper's French Open Withdrawal Raises Doubts for Wimbledon Return
Britain's Jack Draper has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming French Open due to a knee tendon injury, casting uncertainty on his participation in Wimbledon as well. This setback marks another hurdle in Draper's efforts to re-establish himself after a long-term arm injury sidelined him for nearly eight months. Since his return in February, Draper has played only nine matches across five events, including a first-round retirement against Tomas Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open. Following this, he was diagnosed with an aggravated knee tendon injury, initially hoping to be fit for the second Grand Slam of the year next month. In a heartfelt Instagram story, Draper shared: "My knee is on the mend and I've started back hitting balls but unfortunately I have been advised not to play Roland Garros. As gutting as it is to miss another Slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five-set tennis on clay." This latest news is particularly disappointing for the 24-year-old, who was ranked in the world's top four less than a year ago and was seen as a potential challenger to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for major titles. Draper now joins Alcaraz in missing Roland Garros and is likely to drop outside the top 100 when he returns. The overall season has been challenging for British tennis, with Emma Raducanu still recovering from post-viral symptoms and Sonay Kartal out with a back injury. Only Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter represented Britain in singles at the current Madrid Open, while Raducanu is considering a return at the Foro Italico. Draper could potentially make his comeback at the grass-court tournament in Stuttgart, starting June 8, followed by the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club the following week.
Source: Sky Sports - 2026-04-29