Jack Draper described his hip injury as a "ticking time bomb" and admitted he will likely have to manage it for the rest of his career after limping out of the Australian Open on Sunday.
Draper retired after losing the first two sets to Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, with the Britain suffering a flare-up of tendinitis which he was also struggling with in preseason.
He started his Grand Slam campaign in 2025 with three straight five-set matches in Melbourne and after losing the first sets 7-5, 6-1 in the round of 16, he decided enough was enough against the world No. 3.
"I have been unbelievably surprised with how much I have been able to play and put my body through, more than I have ever done before," Draper, the 15th seed and last remaining British player, said.
"I think it's just one of those things, just massive overload. This area of my body, if I don't get that right and I don't make good decisions, I don't want to miss three or four months because of that.
"From the third game, I felt like it was getting worse. I had multiple areas that were really in pain, and especially the hip.
"I didn't feel amazing before my last match but obviously got out there and it felt OK. Maybe it's a little bit of a ticking time bomb, considering I had no preparation and no work for my body.
"I have come and I played a ridiculous amount of tennis and I have broken down."
Draper, 23, said he didn't feel the injury was a "long-term thing at all" but that he needs to be "sensible" because of the tennis schedule. He did, though, admit he is expecting to manage it through his career.
"Everyone's got their own areas where they struggle more than others and that's my area that I'm going to have to look after and manage for probably the rest of my career," he added.
"I'll just manage it the best I can and hopefully get on a run where I'm not playing with pain and taking painkillers."
Alcaraz has set up a blockbuster clash with Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal and said he felt sorry for his good friend Draper.
"It's not the way that I wanted to get through," the Spaniard said. "I'm just happy obviously to play another quarter-final but a little bit sad for Jack.
"He's a really nice person, he doesn't deserve to get injured. He couldn't prepare at the start of the season well. I'm pretty sure he's going to come back stronger as always he does and I just want to wish him a speedy recovery."
Further reading:
- How to watch Australian Open in the UK
- Andy Murray on coaching Novak Djokovic
- Who are the top contenders at the 2025 Australian Open?