Draper withdraws injured as Alcaraz lines up in Australian Open quarter-finals with Djokovic | Australian Open

After an unforgettable week filled with frantic comebacks, boundless adrenaline and the satisfaction of hammering past old mental and physical barriers, defeat came quickly for a physically broken Jack Draper in the vast, lonely surroundings of Rod Laver Arena.

Across a particularly young player on the road to all-time greatness, Draper’s brilliant Australian Open run ended with a fourth-round retirement as he was defeated 7-5, 6-1 straight. by Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday afternoon AEST.

Even in defeat, Draper ends his tournament having taken one of the most important steps forward in his young career to date. After battling so many physical issues during his short time on tour, the 23-year-old found a way through three consecutive five-set matches, demonstrating his improved durability and stamina in the process.

While Draper was once extremely nervous about how his body would fare each time he put it through grueling best-of-five-set matches, he now understands that this format can actually be a strength, and that after four hour match now is an extremely difficult opponent to beat.

Yet progress is never straightforward. Having sustained a hip injury in the off-season, which he was still managing from the start of this tournament, it is clear that the strain he has put it under over the past week was too much.

By reaching the quarter-finals and matching his best ever run at the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz has lived up to his end of the bargain in the men’s draw. As the 21-year-old continues his pursuit of the Australian Open, the one grand slam title that has eluded him, Alcaraz now faces a blockbuster quarter-final with Novak Djokovic, who swept past Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.

Draper arrived at Rod Laver Arena with so many factors stacked against him. Having spent over 12 hours on court after playing the three longest matches of his career in consecutive rounds, he had pushed his body to the limit and was now facing the tournament favourite.

From the outset, Alcaraz showed just how dangerous he can be by immediately imposing himself on the Briton’s opening bouts. The Spaniard was relentless; first and second serve returns bounced at Draper’s feet, he completely dominated the baseline and dictated most exchanges by clearing forehands, closing rallies at the net and peppering Draper with drop shots.

While serving for the set 5-3, in total control, Alcaraz crumbled for a moment. After hitting two double faults, two root faults followed as he gave the break back. Alcaraz stopped his run of errors at 5-5, 0-30. But the way he regained control of the set and closed it out before a tiebreak only served to illustrate how much of the battle was on his racket and certainly his level.

After Alcaraz closed out the first set, Draper immediately called for the trainer while pointing to his left hip or hamstring. As Draper gingerly walked off the court for an off-court medical timeout, Alcaraz, unsurprisingly, appeared to be in much better shape as he traded jokes with his team.

Things only got worse for Draper after he returned from the locker room. As the second set wore on and Alcaraz maintained his stratospheric intensity, Draper’s mobility became increasingly limited. He finished the set reduced to watching easy balls fly past him for clean winners, barely able to move.

Draper was determined to continue the fight even though he was no longer competitive, but it was clear to everyone, including Alcaraz, that it was time for him to retire. In the end, Draper’s 15th set of the week proved a step too far in a tournament that has seen him take so many progressive steps.