- Jack Draper was forced to retire in his fourth round clash with Carlos Alcaraz
- The British lost two sets but could not continue due to hip pain
- He admitted he may have to deal with the injury for the rest of his career.
Jack Draper fears his troublesome hip is something he will have to manage for the rest of his career.
The British number one came into the Australian Open with some pre-season soreness and somehow battled through three straight five-set matches. But after struggling through two sets of his fourth-round clash against Carlos Alcaraz, Draper withdrew from the match.
“I didn't stop surprisingly well,” said a dejected Draper. “I was in a lot of pain after playing my last game. I'm handling this from the hip… I didn't expect to get this far in all honesty. With all the hours I've played, it's been too much for my body.
'Today, from the first games I felt that everything was getting worse. It's not ideal to end this way.'
We first learned of Draper's hip problem in December, when he withdrew from a planned training camp with Alcaraz in Alicante. He then withdrew from the season-opening United Cup. Having been understandably vague on the topic while in competition, Draper spoke openly about his struggles.
“I basically had tendonitis in my hip, and I had to get an MRI,” he said. 'I've had a history of problems in that area. It hasn't disappeared. I'm still dealing with it.
Jack Draper, 23, admitted his hip problems could last the rest of his career.
He was forced to withdraw from his Australian Open fourth-round match against Carlos Alcaraz.
The injury was reported in December, but Draper has treated it behind closed doors for years.
'In the preseason he came back and couldn't walk. It was really difficult. I've come here and I've been managing it.
“I've been incredibly surprised by how much I've been able to play and get my body going, more than ever before.
'It's just massive overload. This area of my body, if I don't do it well and don't make good decisions… I don't want to miss three or four months.'
Draper was generally quite optimistic, but admitted concern that he will never be completely trouble-free in the area.
“That's just sports,” he said. “Everyone has their own areas where they struggle more than others, and that's my area that I'll have to look after and manage probably for the rest of my career.
“I'll handle it the best I can and hopefully go out for a run without playing through pain or taking painkillers.”
How many pain relievers are you taking? “All the time,” he said. 'A lot. Yes a lot.'
With this in mind, Draper's efforts to come back from two sets to one three times and win have been barely believable.
He revealed that he manages the problem with “many” painkillers, but it still hinders his performance.
“All in all, I'm incredibly proud of my efforts,” he said.
'My tennis has been pretty normal. It has been very poor, actually, but it has been my competitiveness, my fight and my desire to win. “That took me to the round of 16 of a Grand Slam, something I'm very proud of.”