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. Unfortunately, Britain's Jack Draper has withdrawn from the competition due to a lingering knee injury that also forced him to curtail his participation in the Barcelona Open.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. 'I've got 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.' Meanwhile, 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 awaiting the winner. Boulter has a perfect 3-0 record against Townsend, although their last meeting was in Beijing in 2024. Townsend has been in good form this season, reaching the final of the ATX Open WTA 250 in February. A victory for Boulter 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 with NOW and the Sky Sports app, offering Sky Sports customers access to over 50% more live sports this year at no extra cost.