Ailing Draper abandons Alcaraz match as Melbourne run ends
Written by I Dig SportsBritish 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.