Jack Draper 'devastated' to withdraw from Wimbledon due to arm injury ahead of first-round match against Taylor Fritz

In a statement, Draper said: "Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first-round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury.

"There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months, but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon.

"I will continue to persevere through this. Thank you for the support!"

This latest development continues a wretched period for Draper, who has struggled with a recurrent bone bruising issue on his left serving arm.

The complaint kept him out of action between last July and this February, but - following a separate issue with his knee - he did make a successful return at Eastbourne last week, where he reached the semi-finals after playing four matches in five days.

But it would appear the arm problem has raised its head again, as the British public are denied their chance to watch not only one of the most captivating first-round matches in the men's singles tournament, but also one of their home stars who has threatened to compete with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the very top of the sport.

It also continues a period of gloom for British tennis generally, with Emma Raducanu withdrawing on the eve of her first-round match with an injury of her own, a stress fracture of her lower leg.

There had been much excitement around Draper's appearance at Wimbledon, not only due to his long absence from the court, but also the fact he is being coached by Sir Andy Murray during the grass season.

Whether that relationship continues beyond this summer remains to be seen, even if Draper is keen on the prospect.

”This is the start of me and Andy’s relationship and I think that will carry on,” he told PA recently.

”I think we both hope that’s going to carry on and I think Andy really believes in me as a player and he knows I can achieve really, really great things, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Draper will hope he can recover swiftly from this setback, but it continues a trend of the top players succumbing to injury.

Alcaraz has missed Roland-Garros and Wimbledon with a wrist problem, while fellow stars Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils have also struggled with physical issues.

"I think it’s pretty worrying the state of men’s tennis, especially right now. The amount of injuries, especially young players," Draper said.

"When I look at the draws for the weeks when I was out, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist. I think definitely the way athletes are getting better and hitting the ball harder and moving better... it’s my opinion they need to really take a close look at what we’re doing on tour.

"Definitely the state of the Masters 1000s, the 12-day events. I was privy to those conversations when I was a top-10 player. Now I’m not. I don’t care as much about what I say. I think the tournaments are going to suffer a lot if not much changes."

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