Draper raises concern over injuries before Wimbledon comeback

Jack Draper is fit to begin his Wimbledon campaign, but he has warned that the number of prominent players dealing with injuries should concern the sport. His comments come as Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti are absent from the tournament through injury.

Draper’s own comeback gives his view extra weight. He has played only 15 matches in the past year because of bone bruising in his serving arm and knee tendinitis, missing this year’s Australian Open and French Open as well as pulling out of last year’s US Open before his second-round match. That limited activity has contributed to a fall to 160th in the world rankings.

The British player believes modern men’s tennis is asking too much of bodies, pointing to a demanding calendar, more physical matches and the expansion of ATP Masters events to 12 days. He also noted that players including Taylor Fritz, Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar withdrew from Wimbledon warm-up events to manage their physical condition.

There are encouraging signs for Draper after he reached the Eastbourne semi-finals in his return event, but Wimbledon will be a tougher test, beginning against sixth seed Fritz. Draper has also brought Andy Murray into his coaching set-up for the grass-court season, describing the support as important during a difficult period.