Jack Draper: British No 1 withdraws from United Cup as injury concerns mount ahead of Australian Open

Jack Draper has revealed his preparations for next month's Australian Open have been impacted by a hip injury, which has forced him to withdraw from Britain's United Cup squad.

The British No 1 took the decision to cancel a week-long training camp with Carlos Alcaraz in Spain in early December due to "a little niggle" in his hip area.

Draper was optimistic the injury would not affect his participation in the first Grand Slam of 2025 but he has been forced to withdraw from the United Cup, the international team tournament where he was due to feature alongside Katie Boulter in Sydney on December 30.

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"As I work to get on top of my hip injury and get match-fit, I have unfortunately been advised not to play in the United Cup," Draper said.

"While we are very positive about competing in the Australian Open this year, I know I won't be able to jump straight into a packed schedule as I manage and strengthen my hip. [I'm] gutted as I was really looking forward to playing in the United Cup for the first time."

Draper has also decided to miss the Davis Cup first-round tie in Japan, which immediately follows the Australian Open, which starts on January 12.

The news comes after he revealed to Sky Sports his preparations for the Australian Open had been beset by injury.

"In all honesty, I haven't been able to train the way I wanted to," he said. "My preparation, probably, for Australia won't be the best.

"But that's the situation in the sport - you've got to roll with the highs and lows and hopefully I give myself the best shot of playing well there."

Draper cannot be replaced in the United Cup team so Billy Harris, ranked 125, will step up, while the Japan tie now looks significantly more tricky for Britain.

His absence could mean a debut for Scot Jacob Fearnley, who has soared up the rankings to 99 this season, making him British No 3 behind Draper and Cameron Norrie.

Draper's setback comes at the end of a breakthrough year in which he soared from outside the top 60 up to 15th in the world rankings.

The 22-year-old's brilliant run to the semi-finals of the US Open showcased his talent on the biggest of stages but he admits he still needs time to adapt to the rigours of the professional game.

"There's always frustrations in tennis. There's always frustrations in any sport," Draper added. "You think you're going great and then you pick up a niggle and you're not able to do the thing you want to do, and you've got to accept that.

"You've got to accept there's amazing things that can happen - there's also really tough moments and as a young player, I'm still getting to grips with all of that - and also understanding that sometimes it's not the result that feels amazing, it's not what you achieve, it's actually just coming in every day, progressing and being able to do what you love doing."

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He continued: "As a young player, I'm still learning to cope with the demands of playing on the tour, week-in, week-out, against a lot of these guys.

"I've only played 120 matches on the tour. A lot of them have played 400, 500 and I think of how much I've improved from a mental, physical, emotional standpoint in the last 40 matches - it's a huge difference.

"So to think that I'm that far behind it, I'm still able to achieve what I've been doing, I think I just need more time.

"I just need to keep on doing the things I'm doing, keep good people around me, keep the growth mindset that I do always have and I think these problems will start to just fix themselves naturally, because I do all the right things and I want the best for myself, so I think they will clear up."

What's coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

• United Cup featuring Great Britain - December 27, 2024 - January 5, 2025
• Brisbane International (ATP 250) - December 29, 2024 - January 5, 2025
• ASB Classic, Auckland (WTA 250) - December 30, 2024 - January 5, 2025

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