Featured Image Credit: Getty/Eurosport
Topics: Tennis, Australian Open
Marcus Chan
Carlos Alcaraz penned a 10-word message on the camera lens after Jack Draper was forced to retire from their Australian Open clash.
British star Draper, 23, had played three gruelling five-set matches before taking on number three seed Alcaraz in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open.
In contrast, Alcaraz has only dropped one set going into the match with Draper.
During what was a much-anticipated contest, Alcaraz won a tight first set 7-5 before comfortably clinching the second 6-1.
Draper headed into the tournament carrying a hip injury and required off-court treatment in the first set.
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Eventually, the pain was too much and he retired after the second set.
On the back of sealing his place in the quarter-finals, Alcaraz wrote a touching message to Draper on the camera lens.
The message read: "You will be where you deserve. Get well soon Jack."
Speaking after the match, Draper labelled his hip injury as a 'ticking time bomb'.
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He said: "I was really, really sore after I played my last match. Essentially, I’ve had tendinitis in my hip, which I had to get an MRI [scan] to look at and stuff. I have had a history of problems in that area. Like, it hasn’t gone away. I’m still dealing with that.
"In the pre-season, it went into my back and I couldn’t walk and it was really difficult. I have come here and I have been managing that. Today, from the third game, I felt like I had multiple areas that were really in pain, and especially the hip."
Draper added: "We were managing it. I didn't feel amazing before my last match, but obviously got out there and it felt OK.
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"Maybe it's a little bit of a ticking time bomb, considering I had no preparation and no work for my body."
Looking ahead, Alcaraz will now face 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in what is being billed as a blockbuster quarter-final clash.