Andy Murray was denied the chance to make his coaching debut at Wimbledon after Jack Draper was forced to pull out with a recurrence of his arm injury and now the former two-time champion at the All England Club has given his verdict on why some of the biggest names in the sport are being struck down by fitness issues.
Carlos Alcaraz, Emma Raducanu and Holger Rune are among the big names who have been struck down by injury issues in recent months, with Draper’s misery among the more acute as the former world No 4 has struggled to get on court since Wimbledon last year.
Draper’s arm problems are showing no sign of clearing up, with rest believed to be the only cure for the issue he is suffering from.
Murray also battled injuries throughout his career and when asked to assess why so many players are struggling to maintain their fitness levels at an IBM event attended by Tennus365, he offered up some revealing answers.
“This is an interesting one because I don’t think the data suggests we are getting any more injuries now compared to ten years ago,” said Murray.
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“There does seem to be more upper limb injuries than there was and in my opinion, that is due to the change in racket technology and the strings that players are using.
“Players have gone to much lighter rackets than they used to use before. And with quite, like, stiff strings in the racket, so a lot of force is going through the arm. Whereas before, players use much more forgiving strings and heavier rapids, and that meant more of the force went through the racket than the arm.
“I feel like that’s something that maybe some of the players should look at.
“Because the game has got quicker and faster, players feel like they need a lighter racket. They feel that when the ball’s coming quickly, you need to get that racket moving fast. So, yeah, I feel like there’s been a bit of change in racket technology, which has maybe put a bit more stress on the player’s arms.”
Draper’s future in tennis has been thrown into doubt after he revealed the reason for his withdrawal from Wimbledon was a recurrence of the arm injury that has kept him out of action for most of the last 12 months.
“Devastated to share that I have had to withdraw from my first round match due to a recurrence of my arm injury,” said Draper in a statement.
“There have been a lot of painful moments in the last 12 months but this one is definitely the absolute worst as there is no greater honour for a British player than playing at Wimbledon. I will continue to persevere through this.”
It’s safe to assume Murray has been advising Draper to look into his racket and string set-up in the brief period of time he has spent on court with the former British No 1 in recent weeks.
Tennis365 already revealed last year that Raducanu has been experimenting with different string and racket set-ups and Alcaraz may well be looking into this area as well as he plots a return to tennis.
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