Attention heading into the French Open is as much on who is not in Paris as who will take to the clay courts at Roland Garros. Carlos Alcaraz is the biggest name absentee, having been ruled out of the majority of the clay season and Wimbledon with a wrist injury.
British Players Hit Hard
It has been a disappointing campaign for British players, with injuries and illness affecting several leading names. Jack Draper’s ranking will drop outside the top 100 after a long absence with bone bruising in his arm, followed by a knee problem that keeps him away from Roland Garros. Sonay Kartal remains sidelined by a back injury, while Emma Raducanu has just returned from two-and-a-half months out with a post-viral illness. Jacob Fearnley and Fran Jones have also spent time away from the court.
Fran Jones' Ordeal
Jones suffered a leg injury at the Australian Open and has been battling to recover from a concussion sustained in a gym accident in the USA, for which she is taking legal action. “I think for anyone to be sat in a room with headaches and concussion for a couple of weeks is always going to be quite a challenging experience,” she said. Jones went into the Australian Open ranked 71 but is now down at 105 and had to rely on other players withdrawing to avoid qualifying. “You see a ranking plummeting, you can’t really do anything about it. You feel useless,” she added.
Concerns Over Draper
Draper’s continued problems are the biggest concern for British tennis, given his clear potential to be one of the world’s best players and his history of injuries. Former world number one John McEnroe said: “It was the first time at Wimbledon last year when I said Jack Draper has the chance to win this tournament. He was the third or fourth favourite. Things were going beautifully. So it’s pretty depressing. What’s happened to Jack is equally depressing for him. He’s 74 in the world. That’s before the French points drop off. It’s a total disaster in a way.”
Looking Ahead
Draper is planning to return for the grass-court season with a new coach, Andy Murray. The number of injuries in tennis has been attributed to factors such as the demanding calendar, scheduling, court speed, and balls. Stephen Smith, former physio with Leinster rugby and founder of Kitman Labs, believes tennis could do more to alleviate the problem. “We believe strongly from what we’ve seen across other sports that the opportunity is there to use better data, better planning, greater alignment to help players stay healthier, perform more consistently, and extend careers,” he said.
