Carlos Alcaraz test was 'a step too far' for injured Jack Draper at Australian Open 2025 say experts: 'A matter of time'

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Jack Draper was forced to retire from his hotly-anticipated fourth-round clash with Carlos Alcaraz after dropping the opening two sets, with the Brit struggling physically in the hot afternoon sun. That did not come as a surprise to Eurosport experts Tim Henman and John McEnroe, given that it had taken Draper 15 sets of tennis and 12 hours on court to make it to the round of 16.

'What a shame' - Watch moment GB's Draper retires against Alcaraz

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A physically spent Jack Draper retired after the second set in his match against Carlos Alcaraz, an outcome which John McEnroe felt was a result of the British No. 1's gruelling run to the fourth round.

Draper had chances in the opening set, but after Alcaraz took it 7-5, he ran away with the second 6-1 while Draper was forced to call for the trainer.

The exact issue that befell Draper wasn’t immediately clear, with the Brit having struggled with a hip injury in the build up to the Australian Open.

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It is not the first time he has struggled - a shoulder problem derailed his 2023 season, while an abdominal issue cost him plenty of matches on the clay court swing last year.

But the fact it took him five sets to see off his first three opponents looked to have played a part, with a tired Draper not cutting his usual powerful figure from the back of the court as Alcaraz gave him the runaround.

"This was never going to be a problem for Carlos, unfortunately Jack played heroically to get there," said Eurosport expert John McEnroe after the match.

"Three five -etters, two-sets-to-one down, but Carlos knew that, he didn’t even play that great, but he didn’t have to as it was always a matter of time before Jack had to pull the plug which he did at the end of the second set."

Alcaraz 'sad for Jack' and excited to potentially face 'that guy called Djokovic'

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Henman agreed, even though Draper had chances in the opening set when he broke Alcaraz’s serve at 3-5 and then levelled up at 5-5.

But Alcaraz was able to step up his level when it mattered, before he blew Draper away in the second set as the heat seemed to take a toll.

"I honestly don’t think it was about motivation - when you look at the context of the matches Draper had come through, he’d fought so hard," said Henman.

"Three five-setters, over 12 hours on court. I don’t think it would have made much difference if Jack had won the first set. I don’t think he had enough energy in the tank to go toe to toe with Alcaraz.

"Throw in the issue with the hip in the off-season, it looked like he was struggling with that area, with the glute or the top of the hamstring.

"To a certain extent, Draper’s hands were tied. He went out there, he gave it a try, but it was just a step too far, unfortunately."

Alcaraz through to quarters as GB's Draper retires injured - Australian Open highlights

Video credit: TNT Sports

It was a sad end to Draper’s Australian Open run, the world No. 18 having made it to the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time.

This was the first slam since his breakthrough run to the US Open semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. But it remains to be seen just what extent this injury will disrupt the next part of his season, although he sounded hopeful that he could still put a strong year together.

"I've got lots of events coming up. I want to have a good, consistent year," Draper told the press after the match.

"I have been on a good run in the last 18 months, been relatively injury-free, and that's allowed me to play the tennis I want to play and play well in these big tournaments and all those sorts of things.

"I don't want to get myself in a position where I'm sort of, you know, just kind of playing through pain and playing through injury, like, I want to be able to show up to these events and give it my best shot and have the right preparation I need."

'A matter of time' - McEnroe and Henman react to Draper retiring against Alcaraz

Video credit: TNT Sports

HIP A ‘TICKING TIME BOMB’ SAYS DRAPER

Draper only started practising fully a handful of days before the tournament began thanks to his ongoing hip injury, and it was that area that cost him against Alcaraz.

He admitted in his press conference that he has been "managing this hip thing", which he confirmed was caused by tendonitis.

"I mean, I wasn't expecting to come this far, actually, in all honesty," the British No. 1 said. "Obviously, with all the hours I have played, it has been a bit too much on my body. I felt like today, you know, from the first couple of games, I felt like everything was getting worse.

"Maybe it's a little bit of a ticking time bomb, considering I had no preparation and no work for my body. To come here, I think I have really surprised myself with how much I have been able to put myself through.

"I'm incredibly proud of my efforts. My tennis has been pretty bang-average. The whole week, you know, it's been really poor, actually, but it's been my competitiveness, my fight and my desire to win. That's got me into the last 16 of a Grand Slam, which is something I'm very proud of."

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