Jack Draper: British No.1 expresses injury concerns ahead of next month’s Australian Open in Melbourne | Tennis News

Jack Draper has revealed that his preparations for next month’s Australian Open have been negatively impacted by his recent hip injury.

The British No.1 made the decision to cancel a week-long training camp with Carlos Alcaraz in Spain in early December due to “a little pain” in his hip area.

Draper was optimistic the injury would not affect his participation in his first major tournament of 2025, but having to compromise his preparations ahead of his arrival in Melbourne would not be ideal.

“Honestly, I wasn’t able to train the way I wanted to,” Draper said. Sky Sports. “My preparations for Australia probably won’t be the best.

“But that’s the situation in sport where you have to deal with the highs and the lows – and I hope I give myself the best chance of playing well there.”

Draper is scheduled to travel to Australia before Christmas, and he was hoping to start his season by representing Britain in the FA Cup at the end of the month, but doubts remain about his fitness and participation.

“We’ll see,” Draper replied when asked if he would be available for United’s opening cup match in Britain. “I’ve been managing my body and talking to my team. It’s an everyday thing at this point.

“Tennis is just a spinning wheel. There’s every tournament, every event that seems very important. And because there are points available, there are a lot of opportunities.”

“But sometimes, you have to make the right decision, so we’ll discuss it every day as a team, see what’s right for me, and yeah, go from there.”

Draper’s injury came at the end of a wonderful year in which he jumped from outside the top 60 players to 15th in the world rankings.

The 22-year-old’s impressive run to the semi-finals of the US Open showcased his talent on the biggest stages, but he admits he still needs time to adapt to the rigors of the professional game.

“There are always frustrations in tennis. There are always frustrations in any sport,” Draper added. “You think you’re doing great and then you have a problem and you can’t do the thing you want to do. You have to accept that.

“You have to accept that there are amazing things that can happen – there are also really difficult moments, and as a young player, I’m still coming to terms with all of that – and also realize that sometimes it’s not the result that feels amazing, it’s not what you achieve, it’s the outcome. The reality is progress every day, progress and being able to do what you love to do.”

He continued: “As a young player, I’m still learning how to deal with the demands of playing on the tour, week in and week out, against a lot of these guys.

“I’ve only played 120 matches on tour. A lot of them have played 400, 500 and I think about how much I’ve improved mentally, physically and emotionally in the last 40 matches – it’s a big difference.

“So, I think I’m so far behind, and to still be able to achieve what I’ve been doing, I think I just need a little more time.

“I just need to keep doing the things I’m doing, keep good people around me, keep the growth mindset I’ve always had, and I think these issues will start to fix themselves naturally, because I’m doing all the right things.” “And I want the best for myself, so I think they’ll figure it out.”

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