It’s certainly not the ideal way to prepare for any second week at a Major, let alone one that will begin with a match against Carlos Alcaraz, but Jack Draper will take it.

Jack Draper silenced the Aussie fans for the second straight match, as he delivered the latest in a heroic series of performances in Melbourne.

Britain's Jack Draper runs out of steam and retires as Carlos Alcaraz moves into the Australian Open quarter-finals - where he could face Novak Djokovic.

It was the second time Draper had retired injured against Alcaraz, having cut short their 2023 match at Indian Wells due to an abdominal strain.

After losing the opening set to Felix Auger-Aliassime during Great Britain’s clash with Canada, Draper smashed his frame on the floor – and then did so again a few months later during defeat to another Australian, Alex de Minaur, at the Paris Masters.

Jack Draper’s mid-match retirement against the reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz was the result of a hip injury that he described as “a ticking time bomb...

Jack Draper retired from his match against Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Australian Open after two sets and the Spaniard was disappointed not to play out the match

The British No 1 faces a stiff task as Alcaraz looks to continue his chase for a career grand slam before Djokovic is in action later

Britain's Jack Draper runs out of steam and retires as Carlos Alcaraz moves into the Australian Open quarter-finals - where he could face Novak Djokovic.

Jack Draper battled a raucous home crowd to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis and reach the Australian Open third round. It was another gruelling contest long into the Melbourne night as Draper won 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 after four hours and 35 minutes on court as tempers frayed, evoking Andy Murray’s marathon win over the same opponent two years ago.

British number one Jack Draper, up against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis on John Cain Arena, and Jodie Burrage, who will face American third seed Coco Gauff on Rod Laver Arena, both have the security of playing in the night session on their respective show courts. They are scheduled to play from 8am.