JACK DRAPER was forced to quit the Australian Open halfway through his clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
The British No.1 retired injured against the Spaniard after losing the first two sets.
Draper, 23, had lost the first two sets 7-5 and 6-1 to the third seed.
He called a halt to the match, having come into the tournament off the back of a hip injury.
The left-hander had treatment off-court after the first set but was unable to continue after the second set ended.
As he left the court at the Rod Laver Arena, he received a warm ovation from the crowd as he held both hands up apologising.
Alcaraz, 21, spoke to the media after the game’s sudden conclusion and sent a classy message to Draper.
He said: “It’s not the way I wanted to get through.
“I’m sad for Jack, he’s a nice person and he doesnt deserve to get injured.
“He couldn’t prepare properly for the season, we were meant to train for a week together (in Alicante).
“I’m sure he’ll come back strongly as he always does.”
Draper admitted that he was feeling “really sore” but was not expecting to reach the fourth round of the tournament.
He said: “After how much I have played, I didn’t pull up amazingly well.
Before this Australian Open campaign, he had not played competitively since the end of October.
“I was really, really sore after I played my last match because I have been managing this hip thing.
“I wasn’t expecting to come this far in all honesty. With all the hours I have played, it has been a bit too much on my body.”
Draper only had ten days to prepare for the Australian Open and admitted that it seemed only a matter of time.
He added: “It was not ideal to end this way.
“From the third game, I felt I had multiple areas that were really in pain – especially the hip.
“We were managing it, I didn’t feel amazing before my last match, but obviously got out there and it felt ok.
“Maybe it’s a little bit of a ticking time bomb, considering I had no preparation and no work for my body.”
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