Jack Draper hopeful of making French Open despite withdrawing from Madrid and Rome
The British number two is recovering from a knee injury which forced him to retire the Barcelona Open last week
Jack Draper says he is confident of making the French Open after withdrawing from the upcoming ATP events in Madrid and Rome with a knee injury.
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The British number two retired from last Monday’s Barcelona Open first-round clash against Tomas Martin Etcheverry because of the issue.
Draper has now confirmed he will miss this week’s Madrid Open along with next month's Italian Open.
But in more positive news, the 2024 US Open semi-finalist is targeting the year's second grand slam at Roland Garros.
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The 24-year-old said in a statement: "An aggravated tendon in my knee means I am not able to play in Madrid and Rome.
"It's frustrating for sure but I am thankful it isn't anything more serious, recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros.
"I am looking forward to building momentum from there."
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have already withdrawn from the ATP event in Madrid, where Draper lost the 2025 final to Casper Ruud.
The Briton has had a tough time since last year's breakout Indian Wells triumph as he missed nearly eight months due to an issue with his left arm.
Last month’s title defence in California was just the second ATP tournament of Draper's comeback and saw him impressively beat Djokovic in the last 16, before bowing out to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Sonay Kartal announced on Monday she would miss the entire clay court season.
The British number two suffered a back problem at Indian Wells last month during her impressive run to the last 16.
Kartal, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, aims to return to action for the grass court season.
The 24-year-old posted on her Instagram story: "Sadly my back injury hasn’t improved as quickly as I would’ve hoped which means no clay season for me this year.
"Thanks for all the messages over the last few weeks, means a lot. Can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd soon! See you on the grass."