Jack Draper Admits His Body ‘Broke Down’ Due to Demands of Catching Up to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No.2 Jannik Sinner won the last nine Grand Slam titles.
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Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner, Sky Sports, Carlos Alcaraz)
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Jack Draper has made the much-awaited comeback, playing his first match since his first-round win at the 2025 US Open. An arm injury forced him to skip the rest of the season and also this year’s Australian Open.
Draper returned to the court for Great Britain’s Davis Cup Qualifiers. His team secured a 4-0 win over Norway in Oslo. The 24-year-old defeated Viktor Durasovic. During his interview with the Press Association, Draper, who withdrew from the ATP 500 Rotterdam Open, admitted that the demands of challenging Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz wrecked his body.
That was my goal anyway, and potentially that’s part of the reason why my body did break down. Maybe I was trying so hard to play in the right way- to hit the ball harder, to get free points- and that just became a stress for me. I’ve learnt a lot about myself mentally and physically. I’ve done a lot of things that have really put me in a good place.
Draper played impressive tennis in the first half of the 2025 season, and it helped him reach his career-best No.4. The Brit, en route to winning his career’s first Big Title by defeating Holger Rune in the final, knocked out Alcaraz in the semifinal. He then reached another Masters 1000 final in Madrid, but lost the title to Casper Ruud.
I wouldn’t want any tennis player to go through this with their playing arm. But at the same time, I’ve learnt many things through this period- not only personally, but from a career perspective- that are definitely going to help me move forward and be a better player.
Jack Draper added
The three-time singles titlist trails 2-4 in the head-to-head record over Alcaraz. Against Sinner, Draper holds a 1-1 record.
Patrick Mouratoglou doesn’t think Carlos Alcaraz is ahead of the pack
Carlos Alcaraz won the most last year on the men’s tour. He lifted eight titles from 11 finals, including the French Open and the US Open. In the recently concluded Australian Open, Alcaraz ended his campaign with the title by overcoming Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Because the 22-year-old has won more titles than Sinner in his career, and has seven Majors to the Italian’s four, some believe Alcaraz is ahead of the pack. But Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, is not of the same opinion.
It was his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and his first one at Melbourne Park. En route to his defeat at the hands of the Spaniard, Djokovic toppled two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in five sets in the semifinals.
It was Sinner who won the ATP Finals, and you can imagine that if Sinner had played three more months while he was banned, he would potentially have ended up number one in the world at the end of the season. I think those two guys are dominating incredibly the tennis world like the top three in the past. Some way, you can compare it easily. There are two guys who are a million miles above the rest of the pack, except Novak. I think throughout 2026, they might share a lot of victories in the finals.
Patrick Mouratoglou said on Instagram
Sinner finished the 2025 season with six titles from 10 finals, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He, in fact, made the finals of every Major. Alcaraz beat him at the French Open and the US Open.
Had Sinner won the Australian Open, he would have become the second man in the Open Era after Djokovic to complete the three-peat in the tournament. The Serb made a Major final for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon.
Also read: Former World No.1 Believes Alexander Zverev Missed an “Opportunity” at the 2026 Australian Open
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