After Jack Draper’s French Open debut was spoiled by yet another injury, forcing him to withdraw from his second major slam in his past three appearances, he admitted that he felt “a bit mentally destroyed.” With an abdominal muscle issue, Draper missed the first six weeks of the clay-court season but made a successful comeback last week in Lyon, scored two wins on the red clay.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old, who was previously known for his powerful serving, began hitting underarm serves almost exclusively in his opening match at the French Open. During a medical stoppage at the conclusion of the first set, he later announced his retirement.
Draper stated that the issue first surfaced during practice on Sunday morning and that it was “clear that it was very, very sore” following the opening game of the match. He also acknowledged that he “had no idea” how his body would respond after such scant on-court practice before his first-ever senior French Open and eight games into his match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, it was obvious there was a severe issue.
During the press conference that followed his match, Jack commented:
“I hate being the guy who is injured a lot. It’s really difficult. Mentally, it’s extremely tough. It’s actually tougher than playing and losing almost because you’re just coming back fighting back from the injuries.
I’ve put in a lot of work. I had a good week last week. I came in here feeling optimistic. It’s not meant to be. I feel a bit mentally destroyed.”
Jack Draper in 2023
Ranked world no.55, the Brit played his last match on the 29th of May when he had to retire when playing against world no.49 Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the 1st round and the scoreline was 6-4 1-0 .
This season the Brit has achieved a composed 10-7 record. Jack Draper’s best achievement of the present year was reaching the semifinal in Adelaide.
