Jack Draper withdraws from Queen’s to delay Andy Murray coaching debut
Jack Draper has withdrawn from the Queen’s Club Championships due to an ongoing knee injury, delaying his coaching debut with Andy Murray and raising doubts over his Wimbledon participation.
The 24-year-old has endured a torrid season beset by physical issues, completing just eight matches across the entire calendar year.
He was recently forced to pull out of the French Open following a knee problem sustained at the Barcelona Open in April.
This latest setback follows a prolonged absence earlier in the campaign caused by severe bone bruising in his left arm.
Ranking slide and Murray partnership
The British player has subsequently plummeted outside the world’s top 100, a stark contrast to his peak position of world number four this time last year.
During that sensational run, the left-hander claimed the Indian Wells title and reached the final of the Madrid Open before his momentum was cruelly halted by fitness struggles.
In a bid to revive his fortunes, he recently split with coach Jamie Delgado after six months to hire his childhood idol Murray for the grass-court swing.
The 38-year-old former Wimbledon champion previously enjoyed a short-term coaching stint with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open earlier this season.
Race against time for Wimbledon
The injury deprives the former top-five star of a return to west London, where he famously defeated Carlos Alcaraz en route to the tournament semi-finals last year.
Despite the withdrawal, the promising talent remains optimistic about his physical prospects ahead of the third Grand Slam of the year.
Recovery going in the right direction, but I’m going to give myself one more week and aim to return at Eastbourne.
Very hard to miss one of my favourite events of the year.
