Jack Draper has warned tennis must address its growing injury crisis.
The 24-year-old will play just his 15th match since Wimbledon last year when he takes on sixth seed Taylor Fritz in the opening round at the All England Club on Tuesday.
Draper was absent for the best part of seven months following his second-round exit 12 months ago because of bone bruising in his arm, while he was then forced to take another break due to knee and shoulder issues.
The former US Open semi-finalist has at least recovered in time for his home grand slam but there have already been 10 withdrawals on the men’s side, including two-time former champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is taking his first steps back on court as he recovers from a wrist injury.
The gruelling nature of the tour, the increasingly physical style of play as well as the speed of courts and balls have all been cited as reasons for the growing list of absentees at big tournaments.
Draper said: “I was really trying to develop my game and push my game more and more every week to reach those guys like Alcaraz and (Jannik) Sinner, who obviously play at an incredibly high level. I just broke down.
“I think it’s pretty worrying the state of men’s tennis, especially right now. The amount of injuries, especially young players.
“When I look at the draws for the weeks when I was out, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist. I think definitely the way athletes are getting better and hitting the ball harder and moving better, I think it’s my opinion they need to really take a close look at what we’re doing on tour.
“Definitely the state of the Masters 1000s, the 12-day events. I was privy to those conversations when I was a top-10 player. Now I’m not. I don’t care as much about what I say. I think the tournaments are going to suffer a lot if not much changes.”
It has been a hugely challenging period for Draper, who has slipped all the way down to 160 in the rankings.
“It’s very difficult,” he said. “When I was younger, I had quite a few setbacks. Then I came through that and had a couple years of where I wasn’t. I made some incredible progress.
“Looking back, coming here last year as four in the world, I was feeling incredible and looking forward to everything that was to come. I felt like I was gradually building up and up and up, confidence in my tennis, in my body, in my mind.
“Then you have something that stops you in your tracks when you’re not expecting it. It’s really difficult to accept that.
“I think my tennis hasn’t gone anywhere because I’ve really been dedicated every day to try and do everything possible so that, when I am back on court, like now, I’m in a good place.
“I still believe, even now after all this time, I’m still competing at an incredibly high level. I’m looking forward to working my way up again.”
Draper will go into Tuesday’s match on Centre Court buoyed by a run to the semi-finals in Eastbourne this week in his comeback event and first with new coach Andy Murray by his side.
He would have hoped for a significantly easier first opponent than Fritz, but it is an unlucky draw for both men.
The American is trying to see the positives of it, saying: “It’s a good opportunity to have a really exciting first round that everyone’s going to be paying attention to.
“I think, for both of us, it’s not the thing you love to see, but I’ve had a lot of success when I’ve had tough draws in tournaments.
“If I lose in the first round or I lose in the fourth round, to be honest, it’s all the same to me. I’m trying to go deeper than that.
“He’s going to come out super hungry and there’s not really any pressure on him, so I think that makes it dangerous.”
