Jack Draper Aims to Avoid Underpreparation for French Open

According to Sky Sports Tennis analyst Laura Robson, British tennis player Jack Draper should not enter the French Open without sufficient preparation. Draper recently withdrew from upcoming ATP events in Madrid and Rome due to a knee injury. He retired from the Barcelona Open first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry because of the issue in his right knee. Despite this setback, Draper is targeting the year's second Grand Slam at Roland-Garros in May. Robson believes it's positive news for Draper, who has been recovering from a long-standing elbow issue that kept him out for most of the 2025 season. Draper's title defense in Indian Wells was just his second ATP tournament since his comeback, where he impressively beat Novak Djokovic before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals. Robson stated that Draper took the time to ensure his elbow was 100 percent healed, but unfortunately, this new knee issue has arisen, which is often a result of compensating for another injury. The good news is that this is just a minor tendon issue. Draper is expected to target events in Hamburg or Geneva, the week before the French Open, to get some much-needed practice. Robson said, 'He's looking to take a couple of weeks off after having to retire from his match in Barcelona last week, but he is hopeful of being able to play Roland-Garros, and if not, the week before.' Fellow Brit Emma Raducanu also withdrew from the Madrid Open as she continues to recover from post-viral symptoms. Raducanu is back in training and hopes to play in Rome at the start of May. Robson said, 'If only we knew when Raducanu will return to action. She's still struggling with the effects of a viral illness that she picked up back in February.' Raducanu reunited with coach Mark Petchey on an ad-hoc basis while working with hitting partner Alexis Canter. Regarding her current coaching situation, Robson said, 'In this case, it's purely a health-related issue that's holding her back from the match court. It's nothing to do with whether you have someone in your camp or not.'