Jannik Sinner has kind words for Jack Draper after his Wimbledon withdrawal
Jannik Sinner has called Jack Draper’s withdrawal from Wimbledon ‘tough’ following his five set victory against Miomir Kecmanovic in round one.
Sinner and Draper are firm friends and they even played doubles together during the 2024 Canadian Open.
Having grown up together, the pair’s career have taken very different trajectories despite their obvious talents when they are both fit.
Draper has been plagued by injury for the last year, suffering with an arm injury which derailed his 2025 season and a knee injury when he returned in 2026.
The British star has played just a handful of tournaments this season, but his run to the Eastbourne Open semi-final looked to be a turning point.
That wasn’t to be for Draper, who withdrew from Wimbledon a day before his match with Taylor Fritz, and Sinner has shared his concern for the his friend.
More Jannik Sinner news
Jannik Sinner admits he was ‘surprised’ by Wimbledon organisers after first round win
Jannik Sinner suffers ‘horrible’ injury during first round match at Wimbledon
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Sinner said: “Yeah, look, it’s a tough one. For Jack, I talked with him before the tournament. I practiced with him before he went to Eastbourne. Felt like he was hitting the ball very clean with a very good speed.
“I always say personally when he is at his best, he’s one of the best players in the world. He has shown this already so many times. When you struggle with injuries like this, I just got to know five minutes before I was doing press outside, it’s tough because he is one of my friends.
“You don’t wish anyone hard luck like he had throughout his whole career until now. I hope he will find a way. Maybe it’s just prevention-wise. I don’t know. I haven’t talked with him yet. It’s tough for the UK. Emma out, Jack out, it’s tough.”
Sinner was asked whether the schedule is the reason for the amount of injuries in tennis so far this year, with 20 players withdrawing from Wimbledon before the main draw kicked off.
“Talking about the other players, you can still make choices where you want to play, where you don’t want to play before tournaments, after tournaments.
“Yeah, so I always try to put myself in the highest priority, trying to understand what I need in that moment. That’s it. But yeah, tough for Jack.
It is currently unclear when Draper will return to action, but Sinner’s will continue his quest to defend the Wimbledon title as he has made it to the second round.
His second round match with Nuno Borges is set for Wednesday, July 1st, with the order of play yet to be confirmed by the Grand Slam.
