Ailing Draper abandons Alcaraz match as Melbourne run ends

Jack Draper had never gone beyond the Australian Open second round until this year

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

British number one Jack Draper ran out of steam at the Australian Open as he retired injured against Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round.

Draper, seeded 15th, called a halt to the match when trailing 7-5 6-1 against four-time major champion Alcaraz on a hot day in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old left-hander, who came into the tournament with a hip injury, needed treatment off the court after the first set before abandoning the contest when the second quickly slipped away.

He held both hands up to the crowd by way of an apology before going off Rod Laver Arena to a warm ovation.

Draper, who came through three gruelling five-set matches to reach the fourth round, was the only Briton to reach the last 16 of the men's or women's singles.

"After how much I have played, I didn't pull up amazingly well," said Draper.

Before this Australian Open campaign, he had not played competitively since the end of October.

"I was really, really sore after I played my last match because I have been managing this hip thing," Draper said.

"I wasn't expecting to come this far in all honesty. With all the hours I have played, it has been a bit too much on my body."

Alcaraz, 21, was far from his best during their contest but continues his bid to become the youngest man in the Open era to complete the career Grand Slam.

The reigning back-to-back Wimbledon champion, who also won the 2022 US Open and 2024 French Open, could face Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Serbia's Djokovic, aiming for a record-extending 11th men's singles title in Australia, plays Czech Jiri Lehecka later on Sunday.

Draper's injury a 'ticking time bomb'

There were understandable doubts about Draper's condition coming into Sunday's match, after being taken all the way by Mariano Navone, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Vukic.

Outlasting each opponent had already provided a sense of satisfaction for Draper, given questions had understandably been raised about his durability.

But, considering such a workload after an injury-disrupted off-season, it felt as though beating Alcaraz would be a step too far at Melbourne Park.

Draper planned to "sleep and eat a lot" on Saturday after seeing out victory over Australia's Vukic at almost 1am local time, and still being on site at close to 2:30am to fulfil his post-match commitments.

He was not listed on Saturday's practice schedule after those late-night exertions.

His energy-sapping efforts in the early rounds meant playing in the height of the Melbourne heat - with temperatures about 34C - was also not ideal against a player with the athleticism and intensity of Alcaraz.

Draper did not seem to be moving too quickly and was kicking out his left leg early in the first set.

Although he managed to continue after a lengthy medical timeout, he decided at the end of a one-sided second set there was no point in further aggravating the problem.

"It was not ideal to end this way," said Draper, who explained his tournament preparations began only 10 days before his opening match.

"From the third game, I felt I had multiple areas that were really in pain - especially the hip."

Asked if he considered not playing at all, he added: "We were managing it. I didn't feel amazing before my last match, but obviously got out there and it felt OK.

"Maybe it's a little bit of a ticking time bomb, considering I had no preparation and no work for my body."

Carlos Alcaraz wrote a message to Jack Draper on a TV camera after the Briton's retirement

Alcaraz still not quite a 'servebot'

Landing the Australian Open title this year would mean Alcaraz beats a record set by his idol Rafael Nadal, who was 24 in 2010 when he became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

To help him do that, and take his level to newer heights, the young Spaniard has remodelled his serve.

After hitting 14 aces in his second-round match, Alcaraz joked he had become a "servebot" - a player who crushes opponents with the strength of their opening shot.

Against Draper, it was clear his serve is still a work in progress.

Alcaraz's first-serve percentage was well down at 40% after five games, and two double faults in the fifth game helped Draper hold two break points which the Briton could not take.

That felt pivotal as Draper's serve buckled in the sixth game under the severe pressure he was also facing.

But any thoughts Alcaraz would race away with the set proved unfounded.

More double faults and a flurry of unforced errors indicated Alcaraz's tension, allowing Draper to break back in the ninth game and hold more confidently to level the set.

Alcaraz relieved his tension with a visceral "vamos" when he held for 6-5 and he then pounced to take the opening set.

Knowing his opponent's physical issues, Alcaraz raised the aggression of his groundstrokes to move a break ahead at 3-0 in the second set before clinically seeing it out, prompting Draper to call time on their encounter.

"It is not the way which I want to win," said Alcaraz.

"I'm happy to play another quarter-final here in Australia, but I am sad for Jack – he doesn't deserve to be injured.

"I wish him a speedy recovery."