Injured Draper to miss Madrid and Rome tournaments

Injured Draper to miss Madrid and Rome tournamentsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Draper has played eight matches since returning to the ATP in Dubai in February ByRussell FullerTennis correspondentPublished21 minutes agoJack Draper has withdrawn from this week's Madrid Open and he will also miss next month's Italian Open because of a knee tendon injury.The 24-year-old did not play in the Monte Carlo Masters either, and retired from his only clay court match of the season in Barcelona as a result of the problem.That tournament was just the fourth of his comeback from bone bruising, which - bar one match at the US Open - had kept him off the tour since Wimbledon."An aggravated tendon in my knee means I am not able to play in Madrid and Rome," Draper said."It's frustrating for sure, but I am thankful it isn't anything more serious."Recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there."The French Open begins in Paris on 24 May, but Draper is considering playing an ATP event in either Hamburg or Geneva the week before.The 2024 US Open semi-finalist retired from his first round match in Barcelona when trailing Tomas Martin Etcheverry 4-1 in the deciding set. Struggling with his movement, the physio had applied tape to an area below his right knee before the final set began.He also wore tape on the knee at times in Indian Wells in early March, where he beat Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals.Draper had a lot of ranking points to defend in Madrid and Rome.He reached his first clay court final in Madrid last year - losing to Casper Ruud - and followed that with a run to the quarter-finals in Rome.A total of 850 points will fall from his ranking, and that is likely to see him drop outside the world's top 70.Draper reached a career high of four in June last year, but will now be unseeded for the French Open and most like...