Australian Open 2025: Why Carlos Alcaraz received walkover in 4th round vs Jack Draper?
Carlos Alcaraz will resume his quest for maiden Australian Open title when he takes on Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, January 21.
FollowThe Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz quest for his 5th Grand Slam continued as they entered the quarterfinal of the men’s singles at the Australian Open 2025. After having a phenomenal season last year, where he won two Major titles at French Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz carried his momentum into the new season with his impressive performances in the ongoing Australian Open.
Alcaraz had put on incredible performances in the three rounds of the Australian Open, resulting in securing his berth in the round 4. However, the 21-year-old received a walkover against Jack Draper before he could complete his match in the fourth round of the men’s singles. Carlos Alcaraz won the opening set with 7-5 over his British opponent. This was followed by a 6-1 win in the second set. Before the beginning of the third set, Draper decided to quit the match, thus giving a walkover to Alcaraz.
Jack Draper was feeling discomfort on his hip during the first set and received treatment before the second set began. The 23-year-old put up a fighting performance in the opening set of the fourth clash against Carlos Alcaraz. In the second set, Draper lost his rhythm completely as he was unable to counter powerful groundstrokes and movement, leading to pushing his physical limits. Eventually, Jack Draper’s hip worsened and decided to retire from the match before the beginning of the third set.
Jack Draper arrived at the Australian Open with a hip injury. Despite the hip issues, the British tennis star managed to put up a fighting performance in all three rounds, winning each match in five sets. However, during the fourth round clash against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, Draper took medical help to address his hip injury. The persistent pain had ultimately led to the decision to retire from the match.
Speaking about Jack Draper’s mid-match retirement, Carlos Alcaraz said that the British player is nice and he is undeserving of getting injured. The Spaniard wants Draper to make a stronger comeback while wishing him a speedy recovery.
“Yeah, this is not the way that I want to win a match to get through to the next round. I’m just happy obviously you know to play in another quarterfinal here in Australia but a little bit sad for Jack you know. He is a really nice person. He doesn’t deserve to get injured,” Alcaraz said during on-court interview.
“He couldn’t prepare at the start of the season. We should have done a good week of pre-season, but he couldn't because of an injury as well. So I’m just a little bit sad for him. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna come back stronger as he always does and I just want to wish him a speedy recovery,” he added.
Carlos Alcaraz will resume his quest for maiden Australian Open title when he takes on Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, January 21.
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