Jack Draper to miss the French Open as injury nightmare continues

[p]It was a further setback for the 24-year-old British tennis player, a former world number four, following a longstanding arm injury that sidelined him for close to eight months.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/draper-jack/SWxNhpmK/"]Draper[/a] has managed just nine matches across five events since returning to competitive action in February and retired during his first-round clash with Tomas Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open earlier this month.[/p][p]He was subsequently diagnosed with an aggravated knee tendon injury but had hoped to feature in the second Grand Slam of the year next month.[/p][p]Draper has now decided against risking further injury on the clay at Roland Garros and will now try to regain full fitness ahead of the grass-court season, with Wimbledon starting on June 29.[/p][embed guid="d4c1dfc4-a165-46b0-b27c-d10070c7e91f" url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXq0uFMAVsc/" social-type="instagram" /][p][b]"My knee is on the mend and I've started back hitting balls but unfortunately I have been advised not to play Roland Garros," [/b]Draper wrote on Instagram.[/p][p][b]"As gutting as it is to miss another slam, the advice is not to rush straight back into playing five set tennis on clay.[/b][/p][p][b]"Off the back of the arm injury I sustained last year, I've been restricted with my training, and by giving myself the time to heal and build, I can be the player I want to be out there once again. See you soon!"[/b][/p][p]Under a year ago, Draper was ranked in the world's top four after winning the title at Indian Wells and finishing runner-up at another Masters 1000 event in Madrid.[/p][p]But he now joins the injured [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alcaraz-garfia-carlos/UkhgIFEq/"]Carlos Alcaraz[/a] in missing the French Open, with Draper likely to be outside the top 100 in the rankings when he does return.[/p]