Jack Draper says hip injury a ‘ticking time bomb’ and recovery is priority
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Jack Draper called his hip injury at the Australian Open a “ticking time bomb” and insisted that he must prioritise his recovery to avoid a long-term injury after being forced to retire from his fourth round match against Carlos Alcaraz. After battling through three brilliant five-set wins to reach the second week for the first time in his career, Draper was forced to retire against Alcaraz on Sunday while trailing 7-5, 6-1. “I had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to get MRI looked at and stuff,” he said. “I have had a history of problems in that area. It hasn’t gone away. I’m still dealing with that. Obviously in the preseason, it [went] into my back and I couldn’t walk and it was really difficult. I have come here and I have been managing that.
![[Jack Draper is consoled by Carlos Alcaraz after the British No 1 retired from their match.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8735bdb63b0c5b4c07696071e59514c5e8349035/0_0_3704_2469/master/3704.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“I have been unbelievably surprised with how much I have been able to play and put my body through, more than I have ever done before, especially. So I think it’s just one of those things, just massive overload. This area of my body, if I don’t get that right and I don’t make good decisions, I don’t want to miss three or four months because of that.”.
Despite his frustration after another retirement in a big match against a top player, Draper said he was proud of his efforts throughout the week: “[I] started the preparation 10 days before. Only started playing points on Saturday probably. Considering everything, I’m incredibly proud of my efforts,” said Draper. “My tennis has been pretty bang-average. The whole week, it’s been really poor, actually, but it’s been my competitiveness, my fight, and my desire to win. That’s got me into the last 16 of a Grand Slam, which is something I’m very proud of.”.
