Jack Draper Withdraws from Madrid Open Due to Injury

The Mutua Madrid Open draw has been announced, with the tournament set to begin on Tuesday and broadcast live on Sky Sports. Unfortunately, Britain's Jack Draper has withdrawn from the competition due to a knee injury that also forced him to curtail his participation in the Barcelona Open. Draper joins a list of high-profile withdrawals, including Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic. He will also miss the Italian Open next month but is targeting a return to action at the French Open in May. 'I have an aggravated tendon in my knee, which means I won't be able to compete in Madrid and Rome,' Draper said in a statement. 'While it's frustrating, I'm relieved it's not a more serious issue, and my recovery is progressing well. I'm optimistic about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros and building momentum from there.' Britain's Cameron Norrie will participate in the tournament and has received a first-round bye. Norrie recently made the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open after a second-round exit at Monte Carlo. Katie Boulter will face American Taylor Townsend in the first round, with a potential meeting against fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the second round. Boulter has defeated Townsend in all their previous encounters but hasn't played her since Beijing in 2024. Townsend has been in good form this season, reaching the final of the ATX Open WTA 250 in February. A win for Boulter would set up a second-round match against Pegula, who recently won her second WTA title of the season in Charleston. Although Alcaraz and Djokovic are notable absentees, Jannik Sinner is the top seed and has also received a first-round bye. The ATP and WTA Tours can be watched live on Sky Sports or streamed with NOW and the Sky Sports app, offering Sky Sports customers access to over 50 percent more live sports this year at no extra cost.