Jack Draper Withdraws from Madrid Open Due to Ongoing Knee Injury

The Mutua Madrid Open draw has been announced, with the tournament set to begin on Tuesday and broadcast live on Sky Sports. Britain's Jack Draper, who was initially part of the draw, has withdrawn from the competition due to a lingering knee injury that also cut short his participation in the Barcelona Open. Draper joins a list of high-profile withdrawals, including Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic. He is also expected to miss the Italian Open next month but is aiming to return to action at the French Open in May. 'The tendon in my knee is still aggravated, so 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 severe issue, and my recovery is progressing well. I'm optimistic about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros and building momentum from there.' Cameron Norrie, another British player, will participate in the tournament and has received a first-round bye. Norrie recently reached the quarterfinals at the Barcelona Open. Katie Boulter will face American Taylor Townsend in the first round, with a potential second-round matchup against fifth seed Jessica Pegula. Boulter has won all three of her previous meetings with Townsend, although they haven't played since 2024. A victory would set up a second-round encounter with Pegula, who recently won her second WTA title of the season in Charleston. Despite the absence of Alcaraz and Djokovic, Jannik Sinner is the top seed and will receive a bye in the first round. The ATP and WTA Tours can be watched live on Sky Sports or streamed via NOW and the Sky Sports app, offering customers over 50 percent more live sports content at no additional cost.