Jack Draper Withdraws from Madrid Open Due to Ongoing Knee Injury

The Mutua Madrid Open draws have been announced, with the tournament set to begin on Tuesday, 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 Unfortunately, Britain's Jack Draper has withdrawn from the competition due to a knee injury that also forced him to curtail his participation in the Barcelona Open.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 aiming to return to action at the French Open in May. In a statement, the 24-year-old said, "A tendon issue in my knee means I won't be able to compete in Madrid and Rome. 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 look forward to building momentum from there." Britain's Cameron Norrie will participate in the tournament and has received a first-round bye. Norrie recently made the quarter-finals 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 second-round match against fifth seed Jessica Pegula. Boulter has defeated Townsend in all their previous meetings 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 encounter with 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 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, providing Sky Sports customers with access to over 50 per cent more live sports this year at no extra cost.