Sky Sports tennis commentator Laura Robson has cautioned Jack Draper that he must avoid heading into Roland‑Garros "undercooked" after the British No.2 pulled out of the upcoming ATP events in Madrid and Rome due to a knee problem. Draper’s knee issue forced him to retire from his first‑round match at the Barcelona Open on Monday, where he was up against Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Following the Barcelona retirement, Draper confirmed that he will sit out this week’s Madrid Open and also miss next month’s Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these withdrawals, the 2024 US Open semi‑finalist has made it clear that his primary target remains the second Grand Slam of the season – the French Open – scheduled for late May.
Robson noted that missing Madrid will likely see Draper slip out of the world top‑40, but she framed the setback as a potentially positive development. Draper has been managing a lingering elbow injury that kept him off the tour for most of the 2025 season, and a cautious approach to his knee could prevent a cascade of compensatory injuries.
"He really took the time out to make sure it was 100 per cent, and unfortunately this is now a knee issue that so often happens when you're coming back from one thing, you compensate, you feel like you haven't been able to get the work in where it needs to happen in the gym and on the practice court," Robson explained to Sky Sports News. "The good thing is that this is just a bit of a tendon issue." The British youngster’s recent form has been encouraging. After a lengthy lay‑off, Draper defended his title at Indian Wells last month – only his second ATP tournament back – and produced a stunning upset over Novak Djokovic in the round of 16 before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter‑finals.
That performance demonstrated that he can still compete at the highest level when fully fit. Looking ahead, Robson said Draper is likely to aim for a warm‑up event in Hamburg or Geneva the week before the French Open. Those tournaments would give him a chance to regain match sharpness on clay without the pressure of a Grand Slam debut. "He's looking to take a couple of weeks off now 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," Robson said.
"We’ll be watching to see whether he enters one of those events to get some match practice because you don’t want to go into a best‑of‑five situation undercooked, feeling ill‑prepared, and without that match intensity. So he’s still hopeful that the clay season isn’t over for him." Robson also touched on the situation of fellow Brit Emma Raducanu, who has withdrawn from the Madrid Open as she continues her recovery. Raducanu has also pulled out of the WTA tournaments in Miami and Linz, focusing on rehabilitation after a post‑viral illness she contracted in Romania in early February. The British No.1 is believed to be back in training and is aiming to return at the Rome event in early May.
Raducanu’s last competitive appearance was a third‑round loss at Indian Wells on March 8, where she was beaten 6‑1, 6‑1 by Amanda Anisimova. When asked about her timeline, Raducanu admitted the situation remains uncertain: "She’s still struggling with the effects of a viral illness that she picked up back in February. She tried to play on the American hard courts but wasn’t able to sustain consistency, so she’s deciding to take more time off. It’s a bit of an unknown at the moment.
She’s not been able to train properly, which makes it a poor decision to enter a big tournament like Madrid and risk it." Robson added that Raducanu’s current challenges are purely health‑related, not coaching‑related. After parting ways with Francis Roig post‑Australian Open, she briefly reunited with Mark Petchey on an ad‑hoc basis while working with hitting partner Alexis Canter.
"It doesn’t matter who’s in her camp if she can’t get on court and practice. Once she’s back to 100 per cent physically, she’ll feel confident and know she’s working on the right things on and off the court," Robson said. "She’s returned to the LTA National Tennis Centre for practice, so the technical level will be there.
It’s all about being healthy and getting back to full fitness." In summary, both Draper and Raducanu are navigating injury‑related setbacks as the European clay swing approaches. Robson’s advice to Draper is clear: use the next few weeks to heal properly, perhaps compete in a smaller event for match practice, and avoid stepping onto the French Open courts without the necessary preparation.
For Raducanu, the priority remains a full recovery from her viral illness before she can re‑enter the tour at a competitive level. Fans can follow the ATP and WTA tours live on Sky Sports or stream via NOW and the Sky Sports app, which offers more than 50 per cent additional live sport coverage at no extra charge for Sky customers.