‘Jack Draper does not want to head into French Open undercooked’ – warns Laura Robson, who also discusses Emma Raducanu’s viral illness | Tennis News

Sky Sports Tennis analyst Laura Robson has warned Jack Draper that he “does not want to head into French Open undercooked” after the British ace withdrew from upcoming ATP events in Madrid and Rome with a knee injury

The British No 2 retired from last Monday’s Barcelona Open first-round clash against Tomas Martin Etcheverry due to an issue in his right knee.

Draper has now confirmed he will miss this week’s Madrid Open along with next month’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but the 2024 US Open semi-finalist is targeting the year’s second Grand Slam at Roland-Garros later in May.

Last year’s Madrid finalist is set to drop out of the top 40 in the ranking, but Robson believes it’s still positive news for Draper, who suffered from a long-standing elbow issue that kept him out for the majority of the 2025 season.

Last month’s title defence in Indian Wells was just the second ATP tournament of Draper’s comeback and saw him impressively beat Novak Djokovic in the last 16, before bowing out to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.

“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, but the good thing is that this is just a bit of a tendon issue,” Robson told Sky Sports News.

Draper is now expected to target events in Hamburg or Geneva – the week before this year’s French Open – with the aim of getting some much-needed practice.

“He’s looking to take a couple of weeks off now after having to retire form 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.

“That’s what were really going to be looking out for. Whether he plays in one of those events to try and get some match practice because you don’t want to go into a best-of-five match situation undercooked, feeling ill-prepared, and without that match intensity, so he’s still hopeful that the clay season isn’t over for him.”

When will Raducanu return to action?

Fellow Brit, Emma Raducanu also withdrew from the Madrid Open as she continues to recover full fitness.

The British No 1 also pulled out of both the WTA Tour events in Miami and then Linz as she prioritises her rehabilitation from post-viral symptoms on the back of an illness she picked up in Romania during early February.

Raducanu – who also opted to sit out Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Australia – is understood to be back in training and hopeful of playing in Rome at the start of May.

The 23-year-old last played in the third round at Indian Wells on March 8, when she slipped to a 6-1 6-1 defeat against Amanda Anisimova.

“If only we knew [when Raducanu will return to action],” said Raducanu. “She’s still struggling with the effects of a viral illness that she picked up back in February.

“She tried to go and play at the American hardcourts but wasn’t able to sustain that consistency and so she is just deciding to take some more time off, but it’s kind of a bit of an unknown at the moment. She’s not been able to put the practice in which means it’s not the right decision to come to a big tournament like Madrid and and risk it.

“Ultimately, only she knows the answer to that question, so when will we see her? That’s very much up in the air at the moment but hopefully soon because she is such a big draw for these events, especially in the early rounds as she looks to get back to top form and top fitness.”

What about Raducanu’s coaching situation?

Raducanu, who split with coach Francis Roig after her exit from the Australian Open, 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. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re not able to go out there and practice, so ultimately, she’s looking to set that up so when she is physically back to 100 per cent she can feel good, feel confident, and know that she’s working on the right things on and off the court.

“In terms of her camp, she’s been with quite a few people on and off throughout the years and I’ve heard she’s gone back to the people at the LTA National Tennis Centre, where she is able to practice, and so in terms of tennis that game-style is always going to be there. That level will always be there. It’s about being healthy and getting back to being 100 per cent.”

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