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 combat tendinitis in his hip which has hampered his chances against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.
Draper's physical problems returned, too he lasted just two sets of his fourth-round clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.
Draper came into the tournament with little preparation after a hip injury he suffered in the preseason, which he admitted he still has to work through.
He then put his body through three five-set matches, spending more than 12 and a half hours on court, and it proved too much.
“Basically, I had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to take for an MRI to look at,” Draper said during his press conference. “I've had a history of problems in that area and it hasn't gone away. I still deal with it.
“Obviously in the pre-season it (moved) into my back and I couldn't walk and it was really hard. I came here and I did it. I'm incredibly surprised how well I've been able to play and hold my body, more than I ever have before, I think it's just one of those things, just a massive overload.
“This part of my body, if I don't get it right and make good decisions, I don't want to miss three or four months because of it.”
I'm aware of the injuries, especially in the past, I just want to make the right decisions because I don't want to be out for months. I want to be able to hopefully be able to play and be consistent, be consistent in my body and everything again.
Draper expressed pride in his improved physical resilience and must hope he hasn't done any further damage that could affect the rest of his season.
“All things considered, I'm incredibly proud of my effort. My tennis was pretty average. It was really bad all week, actually, but it was my competitiveness, my fight and my desire to win. in the last 16 of a grand slam, which is something I'm very proud of,” said Draper, who reached the US Open semifinals in September.
“It's really disappointing, and I never like to retire. I'm someone who likes to do my best for everything, but I'm aware of the injuries, especially in the past, I just want to make the right decisions because I don't want months out, I hope I'm going to be able to play and be consistent, be consistent in my body and everything again.”
Draper was due to spend a week training with Alcaraz in Spain in December but was forced to cancel due to injury as the 23-year-old admitted the problem was a “ticking time bomb” which he was dealing with by taking painkillers.
“I'll have to clear up the tendinitis,” he admitted. “Obviously there's rehab or maybe there's an injection you can put in that area to help it. I've opted for rehab. But obviously it hasn't cleared up too much. Maybe I'll see what I can do with it. It's not a long-term thing at all, I just need to be reasonable , because there is no way out of it.
“I came here and played a ridiculous amount of tennis and I broke down. The key to staying injury-free and being consistent is to have that consistency in the time you're injury-free, the time you train, the time you repair your body.
“If you're dealing with injuries and playing with pain and taking painkillers, then it's not ideal.
I'm just going to do the best I can, and hopefully run where I'm going to be careful where I'm not playing with the pain and be fine, and I'm not going to take pain pills.”
Asked how many painkillers he was taking, Draper replied, “Constantly. A lot. Yeah, a lot.”
Henman: A step too far for Draper
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Both Tim Henman and Laura Robson selected Draper as their best player of the 2024 ATP season.
Tim Henman speaks next Eurosport on Draper's retirement:
“It was nothing about motivation. He fought so hard with three fives,” said the former British No.1.
“I don't think it would have made a difference if Jack had won the first set. I just don't think he had enough energy left in the tank to fight Alcaraz.
“Throw into the equation that he had hip issues in the offseason, it looked like he was struggling with that area and maybe the top of the hamstring.
“I think to some extent Draper's hands were tied. He went out and tried, but unfortunately it was just a step too far.”
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