Wimbledon sees British hopefuls Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper withdraw due to injury
British tennis player Jack Draper has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a recurrence of an arm injury, marking him as the second British hopeful to pull out at the last minute. His withdrawal follows that of Emma Raducanu, the British women’s number one, who also withdrew on the eve of the tournament due to injury. These withdrawals have led to the entry of ‘lucky losers’ into the main draw.
Draper was scheduled to play against sixth seed Taylor Fritz on Centre Court on Tuesday. He expressed his devastation, stating that while he has experienced many painful moments over the last 12 months, this withdrawal is the worst, as playing at Wimbledon is the greatest honour for a British player. He affirmed his commitment to persevere through this challenge.
Injury challenges and ‘lucky loser’ system
Draper‘s arm injury, identified as bone bruising, previously kept him off the tour for approximately seven months, from July to February. He recently returned to competition, playing his first tournament in over two months last week in Eastbourne after dealing with knee tendinitis. His recent return saw him reach the semi-finals in Eastbourne, and he had expressed excitement about facing Fritz.
The withdrawal of both Draper and Raducanu highlights a broader concern about injuries in elite tennis, a topic Draper himself raised recently. He noted the increasing number of injuries among young players and questioned factors such as the quality of balls and the demands of the tour, particularly Masters 1000 events.
Following these withdrawals, Latvia‘s Darja Semenistaja, ranked world number 106, has been named as the ‘lucky loser’ to replace Raducanu. Serbia‘s Dusan Lajovic, world number 153, will replace Draper. Both Semenistaja and Lajovic were the highest-ranked players in their respective categories who reached the final qualifying rounds but did not advance to the main draw.
The ‘lucky loser’ system allows players who lose in the final qualifying rounds to enter the main draw if another player withdraws. The selection process varies depending on when the withdrawal occurs. If a player withdraws once qualification is complete, the highest-ranked player eliminated in the final qualifying round is selected. For subsequent withdrawals, players are chosen in descending order of ranking from those eliminated in the final qualifying round.
Players must be registered on the lucky loser list, signed in, and on-site, ready to play in the event of a first-round withdrawal. This list is posted daily at least one hour before the sign-in deadline, which is 30 minutes before the first scheduled match.
Prize money and historical context
Despite their withdrawals, both Raducanu and Draper will receive first-round prize money. According to the ATP rulebook, a tournament pays prize money equal to that of first-round losers to any player who would have been a direct acceptance if not for a late substitution, unless the player gained entry into the main draw by other means.
The random draw policy for withdrawals before qualification concludes was introduced in 2006 to prevent ethical issues. Previously, high-ranking players could deliberately lose in final qualifying rounds to secure lucky loser status, knowing a withdrawal was likely and allowing time for injuries to heal, as seen in a 2005 incident involving American Justin Gimelstob.
While several lucky losers have advanced beyond the opening rounds of Grand Slam tournaments, none have ever won a title. The furthest a lucky loser has progressed at Wimbledon is American Lauren Davis, who reached round three in 2019. However, some lucky losers have won lower-tier ATP and WTA tournaments, including Coco Gauff, who won her first title at the Linz Open after qualifying as a lucky loser.
Other notable withdrawals from Wimbledon this year include Carlos Alcaraz and Victoria Mboko, who were replaced by Jan Choinski and Darja Vidmanova, respectively. Draper‘s withdrawal marks a challenging period for British tennis, with both of its prominent young stars unable to compete in the tournament.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
Nathan Crowley is the Sports News Writer at NewsUK, covering rugby union, golf and boxing with six years of reporting experience. He moved from regional newspapers into digital sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Cardiff University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Cardiff, he plays amateur rugby and follows the Six Nations closely. “Speed and accuracy are not a trade-off in sport news.”
