Jack Draper has revealed that his latest hamstring injury has affected his preparations for next month’s Australian Open.
The British No.1 has decided to cancel a week-long training session with Carlos Alcaraz in Spain at the beginning of December due to a “little niggle” in his hamstring.
Draper was optimistic that the injury would not affect his participation in the first Grand Slam of 2025, but he has been forced to compromise his preparations before arriving in Melbourne which will be less than optimal.
“Honestly, I haven’t been able to train like I wanted to,” Draper said Sky Sports. “My preparation probably won’t be the best for Australia.
“But that’s the way it is in sport, you’ve got to roll with the highs and the lows, and hopefully I’ll give myself the best chance to do well there.”
Draper is due to travel to Australia before Christmas and had hoped to start his season by representing Britain in the United Cup at the end of the month, but there are doubts over his fitness and participation.
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Draper has canceled preseason training with Carlos Alcaraz because of a hamstring problem.
“We’ll see,” Draper said when asked if he would be available for the United Kingdom opener.
“Tennis is just a spinning wheel. There’s every tournament, and it seems like every event. And it’s like that, because there’s points, there’s 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 breakthrough year when he climbed outside the top 60 to 15th in the world rankings.
Draper has yet to confirm whether he will feature in Great Britain’s United Cup opener against Argentina on December 30 in Sydney.
The 22-year-old’s brilliant 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’s always disappointments in tennis. There’s always disappointments in any sport,” Draper added.
“You have to accept that there are amazing things that can happen. there are also really tough moments and as a young player I’m still coming to terms with it and I also understand that sometimes the result is not what seems amazing, it’s not what you achieve, it actually comes every day , progress and being able to do what you love to do.”
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British No. 1 Draper dazzled on his way to the semi-finals of the US Open
He continued. “As a young player, I’m still learning to deal with the demands of touring, week in, week out, playing 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 how much I’ve improved in the last 40 matches mentally, physically, emotionally, that’s a huge difference.
“So to think that I’m so far behind it, I’m still able to achieve what I was doing, I think I need more time.
“I just have to keep doing what I’m doing, keep good people around me, keep the growth mindset that I always have, and I think these problems will start to work themselves out because I’m doing all the right things. and I want the best for myself, so I think they’ll work out.”
What’s next on Sky Sports Tennis?
- United Cup with Great Britain – December 27, 2024 – January 5, 2025
- Brisbane International (ATP 250) – December 29, 2024 – January 5, 2025.
- ASB Classic, Auckland (WTA 250) – December 30, 2024 – January 5, 2025
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