JACK’S LEFT TO FLY FLAG
Raducanu and Dart bow out
JACK DRAPER flew the flag for the Brits at the Madrid Open after disappointing defeats for Emma Raducanu and Harriet Dart.
Draper’s past three losses ended in a final-set tiebreak but he came back to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3 3-6 7-5.
The world No.43 said: “At 6-5, I was thinking this is definitely going to be another tiebreak the way he’s serving.
“It’s been tough taking all these three-setters and it can get in your head a little bit, for sure.
“But that’s where it’s like, well, I’m giving myself an opportunity in those situations, now I’ve got to be a bit braver and try something different.”
Draper is now keen to get revenge on world No.9 Hubert Hurkacz, who beat him in Monte Carlo two weeks ago.
It was a different story for Raducanu, who returned to Madrid 12 months after she pulled out of the tournament and ended her season to have surgery.
The world No.221 was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Argentinian qualifier
Maria Lourdes Carle and conceded she was emotionally drained.
Raducanu said: “I’m going to take a few days off and rest a little bit because I’ve been going nonstop for the last month.
“Before the Billie Jean King Cup, I had two weeks of really intense training and went straight there, straight to Stuttgart, straight here. So I’m going to just recharge a little bit. From the performance it was very clear that mentally, and emotionally, I was exhausted.”
Meanwhile, Dart’s debut in the Madrid Open main draw ended in defeat as she crashed out to Cristina Bucsa.The British No. 2 lost the last six games of her match as the Spaniard beat her 6-4 6-4.
Rafael Nadal has cast doubt on the likelihood of a farewell appearance at the French Open, which starts on May 26.
The 14-time champion returned to action in Barcelona last week after suffering another hip issue at his comeback tournament in January following a year out.
He defeated Flavio Cobolli before losing to Alex de Minaur in the second round and is now preparing to play at the Madrid Open. Nadal, 37, gave a downbeat assessment of his physical state ahead of his first-round match today against Darwin Blanch, a 16-year-old American.
He said: “Some moments I find myself enjoying being on court, playing against the best players again and I feel more or less competitive – and other moments I feel limitations and it’s difficult.
“If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I will not play. I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. If I can play, I play. If I can’t play, I can’t. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still have goals after Roland Garros, like the Olympics.”