Jack Draper is looking to have a good, consistent year on tour, but the British No. 1 has revealed he is taking “a lot” of painkillers to deal with tendinitis in the hip that will derail his clash against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. Possibilities were disrupted.
Draper’s physical problems returned and he The fourth-round clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz lasted only two sets.,
Draper came into the tournament with little preparation after suffering a hip injury in pre-season, which he admitted he was still having to manage.
He then put his body through three five-set matches, spending more than 12 and a half hours on the court, and it proved too much.
“Essentially I had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to get an MRI to look at,” Draper said during his press conference. “I have a history of problems in that area and it hasn’t gone away. I’m still dealing with that.”
“Apparently it’s in pre-season [moved] My back hurt and I couldn’t walk and it was really hard. I came here and I am managing it. I’m incredibly surprised by how much I’m able to play and work my body more than I ever have before. I think it’s one of those things, just massive overload.
“This area of my body, if I don’t feel right and I don’t make good decisions, I don’t want to lose three or four months because of that.”
Draper was due to spend a training week with Alcaraz in Spain in December but had to cancel due to injury as the 23-year-old admitted it was a “ticking time bomb” which he was managing by taking painkillers. Is.
“I have to clear up the tendinitis,” he admitted. “Obviously doing rehab or maybe getting an injection to help that area. I opted to do rehab. But obviously it hasn’t cleared up too much. Maybe I’ll see if I can get through it. What can I do with it? It’s not a long-term thing at all, I just need to be sensible, because there is no escaping it.
“I’ve come here and played a fair amount of tennis and I’m broke. The key to staying injury-free and being consistent is having that consistency in your body’s time where you’re injury-free, time to train, time to train. Take time to heal your body.
“If you’re dealing with injuries and playing through pain and taking painkillers, that’s not ideal.
I’ll manage it as best I can, and hopefully I’ll race where I feel cared for, where I won’t play with the pain and be absolutely fine, and not take painkillers.”
Asked how many painkillers he was taking, Draper replied: “All the time. A lot. Yes, a lot.”
Draper is ‘proud’ of his efforts
Draper was not helped by the schedule as he was forced to play in full heat on the hottest day of the tournament.
He was under pressure from the start and looked somewhat uncomfortable early on, but Alcaraz was erratic in the opening set and the Spaniard only took the lead.
However, by the end of the second, Draper was barely able to follow up with shots and Alcaraz was waiting to shake hands.
“All things considered, I’m incredibly proud of my efforts,” said Draper, who reached the US Open semi-finals in September.
“My tennis has been pretty bang-on-average. The whole week, it’s been pretty bad actually, but it’s my competitiveness, my fight and my desire to win that has gotten me to the last 16 of a Grand Slam, which is something that gives me Very proud of it.”
“It’s really frustrating, and I never like to shy away from it. I’m someone who likes to give my all to everything, but I’m aware of injuries, especially in the past, I just want to make the right decision.” Want to because I don’t do it.” I want months time. “I hope I can play and continue to perform well, get consistency back with my body and everything.”
Heineman: A step too far for Draper
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Tim Henman and Laura Robson both selected Draper as their Most Improved Player of the 2024 ATP Season
Tim Heineman speaking Eurosport About Draper’s retirement:
“It was nothing about motivation. He fought very hard with three five-setters,” said the former British No. 1.
“I don’t think it would have made a difference if Jack had won the first set. I don’t think he had enough energy in the tank to match Alcaraz.
“Add into the equation that he had a hip problem in the off-season, it looked like he was struggling with that area and probably the top of his hamstring.
“I think to some extent, Draper’s hands were tied. He went out there and tried but unfortunately it was just a step too far.”
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