Jannik Sinner Says Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon Withdrawals Are ‘Tough for the UK’

Two home favorites at Wimbledon, Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, deemed it best to withdraw to avoid aggravating their respective injuries. Jannik Sinner, who is good friends with Draper, trained with him before he went to Eastbourne.

Draper was scheduled to face Taylor Fritz in the first round on Tuesday, but on June 29, he decided to pull out of his home Slam due to his lingering arm injury. Last year, Draper suffered a second-round exit at Wimbledon and later featured in just one tournament, at the US Open, where, after withdrawing from his second-round match, he did not play in the remainder of the season.

I trained with him before he went to Eastbourne, and it seemed to me that he was hitting the ball very accurately and at a good speed. I always say personally that when he is at his best, he is one of the best players in the world. He has already shown that many times. When you have to deal with injuries like this, and I found out five minutes before the press conference, it’s tough because he’s one of my friends.

Jannik Sinner said at the press conference after his first-round win

Raducanu, who recently played her career’s third final at the Queen’s Club Championships (lost to Donna Vekic), withdrew due to a stress fracture in her lower leg. Seeded 30th, the 2021 US Open champion was scheduled to face Croatian Antonia Ruzic in the first round.

You don’t wish anyone the bad luck he has had throughout his career so far. I hope he finds a solution. Perhaps it’s just a matter of prevention. I don’t know; I haven’t talked to him yet. It’s tough for the UK. Raducanu out, Jack out… It’s tough. Speaking of the other players, you can still make decisions about where you want to play and where not, before and after the tournaments.

Jannik Sinner added

Draper played his first tournament of the season in Dubai, and after competing in Indian Wells, Miami, and Barcelona, he withdrew from the remainder of the clay events. He made his comeback at the Eastbourne International and reached the semifinals under the guidance of former three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.

Jannik Sinner on surviving injury scare during his first-round match

In his first-round match on Sunday (June 29), Jannik Sinner overcame Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-3. Sinner slipped and fell on the court twice during the match, and at the press conference later, he said he was lucky to avoid a serious injury.

A fall is tough because you can get injured, but it is the most normal thing to happen. That’s how grass is. Especially in the early matches when the grass is new, you slip a bit more. Yes, I was lucky because things can go wrong very, very quickly.

Sinner fell for the first time during the third set and injured his right toenail, due to which some part of his white Nike shoe turned red with blood, but he joked during the interview that Wimbledon allowed him to play despite its strict dress code.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will next be facing Nuno Borges, and it will be the second meeting of their careers. Sinner is competing as the defending champion (defeated Carlos Alcaraz last year).

The Italian is also chasing his sixth title of the season after his victories in five Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Monte Carlo, and Rome. He has so far clinched two titles on grass (last year’s Wimbledon and the 2024 Halle Open).

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