Injured Draper cancels Alcaraz training week

Jack Draper has cancelled his planned training week with Carlos Alcaraz because of a "little bit of a niggle" in his hip.

The British number one was due in Spain to train with the Wimbledon and French Open champion next week, but is limited to gym work at the moment.

Draper is in the Great Britain team which will contest the United Cup from 27 December, but is not yet sure whether he will be fit to play.

The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on 12 January.

"I've been working incredibly hard the last couple of weeks to get myself to hopefully improve for next year," said Draper.

"I did have a little bit of a niggle in my hip area and in terms of going away to Spain and training at that level of intensity with Carlos I had to make that call because it's not fair on him if I go and I am not 100%.

"It was something that we were really excited about, and something me and (his coach) James (Trotman) had been talking about for a while.

"To try to go out and hit with the best players in the world and get that exposure to the highest level possible on a regular basis to get prepared for the New Year."

Draper says this injury is different to the hip problem that troubled him at the start of 2023, but it comes at an irritating time for the 22-year-old.

He has risen to 15 in the world after winning ATP titles in Stuttgart and Vienna and shown much greater resistance to injury this year.

The US Open semi-finalist was speaking at a Memory Walk in aid of the Alzheimer's Society in west London. Draper is an ambassador for the charity and has spoken movingly about the impact the disease has had on his grandmother.

Shortly before the walk, he described his grandfather, who is his grandma's main carer, as an "absolute hero to keep on doing what he's doing".