Jack Draper has warned tennis must address its growing injury crisis.

The 24-year-old will play just his 15th match since Wimbledon last year when he takes on sixth seed Taylor Fritz in the opening round at the All England Club on Tuesday.

Draper was absent for the best part of seven months following his second-round exit 12 months ago because of bone bruising in his arm, while he was then forced to take another break due to knee and shoulder issues.

The former US Open semi-finalist has at least recovered in time for his home grand slam but there have already been 10 withdrawals on the men’s side, including two-time former champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is taking his first steps back on court as he recovers from a wrist injury.

The gruelling nature of the tour, the increasingly physical style of play as well as the speed of courts and balls have all been cited as reasons for the growing list of absentees at big tournaments.

Draper said: “I was really trying to develop my game and push my game more and more every week to reach those guys like Alcaraz and (Jannik) Sinner, who obviously play at an incredibly high level. I just broke down.

“I think it’s pretty worrying the state of men’s tennis, especially right now. The amount of injuries, especially young players.

“When I look at the draws for the weeks when I was out, everything is shoulder, arm, wrist. I think definitely the way athletes are getting better and hitting the ball harder and moving better, I think it’s my opinion they need to really take a close look at what we’re doing on tour.

“Definitely the state of the Masters 1000s, the 12-day events. I was privy to those conversations when I was a top-10 player. Now I’m not. I don’t care as much about what I say. I think the tournaments are going to suffer a lot if not much changes.”

It has been a hugely challenging period for Draper, who has slipped all the way down to 160 in the rankings.

“It’s very difficult,” he said. “When I was younger, I had quite a few setbacks. Then I came through that and had a couple years of where I wasn’t. I made some incredible progress.

“Looking back, coming here last year as four in the world, I was feeling incredible and looking forward to everything that was to come. I felt like I was gradually building up and up and up, confidence in my tennis, in my body, in my mind.

“Then you have something that stops you in your tracks when you’re not expecting it. It’s really difficult to accept that.

“I think my tennis hasn’t gone anywhere because I’ve really been dedicated every day to try and do everything possible so that, when I am back on court, like now, I’m in a good place.

“I still believe, even now after all this time, I’m still competing at an incredibly high level. I’m looking forward to working my way up again.”

Draper will go into Tuesday’s match on Centre Court buoyed by a run to the semi-finals in Eastbourne this week in his comeback event and first with new coach Andy Murray by his side.

He would have hoped for a significantly easier first opponent than Fritz, but it is an unlucky draw for both men.

The American is trying to see the positives of it, saying: “It’s a good opportunity to have a really exciting first round that everyone’s going to be paying attention to.

“I think, for both of us, it’s not the thing you love to see, but I’ve had a lot of success when I’ve had tough draws in tournaments.

“If I lose in the first round or I lose in the fourth round, to be honest, it’s all the same to me. I’m trying to go deeper than that.

“He’s going to come out super hungry and there’s not really any pressure on him, so I think that makes it dangerous.”

Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways and Transport Committee is due to discuss new safety improvement works planned for the guided busway

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Cambridgeshire Live readers have been discussing the news that further improvement works are scheduled for the Guided Busway to maintain its safety. Councillors are set to consider the proposals at the upcoming Cambridgeshire County Council Highways and Transport Committee meeting.

The council reports there has been “significant progress” on safety enhancements throughout the past year. New safety fencing along the southern stretch is nearing completion.

To the north, work is progressing between Cambridge Regional College and Milton Road. Following this, contractors will proceed with installing separation fencing between Milton Road and Cambridge North station.

Procurement for works along the route from Histon to St Ives is anticipated in summer 2026, with construction scheduled to begin from late summer that year. The council states the Busway, which connects St Ives and Cambridge, provides access to employment, hospitals, and educational facilities, while the adjacent path remains popular with walkers, wheelers, cyclists, and horse riders.

Councillors will be asked on 30 June to approve continued delivery of safety works on the northern stretch. The £6 million cost will be funded from Major Infrastructure Reserves.

Temporary 30mph restrictions will be reassessed as new safety measures are completed, with variable speeds of up to 40–50mph on the northern stretch where appropriate. Readers have expressed a range of opinions.

Regarding future power systems, one reader, Orlockgrey says: “They should put overhead wires on, so we can run electric buses that aren’t weighed down by batteries. Also this would mean if we eventually decided to convert it to a light rail route, half the work will already have been done.”

Whynot2 replies: “Would those electric buses have diesel engines in so they can be used on non-overhead lines? But who’s going to pay for it? Will it be bus passengers, cyclists or perhaps pedestrians who use it? No, it’ll be everyone, even those that don’t use it.”

Orlockgrey answers: “Good idea – there are actually bi-mode buses in Boston that do this already. Public transport is essential for reducing traffic on the roads. Funding it helps the economy and makes the roads much nicer to drive on.”

Rhodabike says: “More improvement works? For that, you first you need to have ‘some’ improvement works. None of the works to date has improved anything. Rather like most other council/GCP infrastructure ‘improvements’.”

Freddly writes: “At least we seem to have moved on from blaming the bus franchise when people step onto the busway without looking. Good news also that the £6m cost is being met from Major Infrastructure Reserves, the Reserves might otherwise have been used on road projects that generate more car and van traffic.”

Over on our Facebook page, John M comments: “Get the drivers to drive properly, not race to junctions and swerve onto guided tracks, last used scared me stiff.”

Clare W asks: “Just curious as to why there are gaps between some of the metal panels where silly people can get through and on to the busway. I thought that was the whole point of putting them up to stop that.”

Kelvin A-D says: “More taxpayers money thrown at the Moneypit. So much for it only going to cost £42 million and have a service life of 40 years (Council Statement at the Public Enquiry).”

Are you happy that there is more improvement works scheduled to be carried out? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of Sunday’s biggest crime stories.

Each day on Criminal Record, we will bring you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day across the country.

From criminal trials and the ongoing gangland war to an assault on our streets, if you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Sunday.

Scot shot dead on Caribbean island

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A Scottish man has been found shot dead on a luxury Caribbean island

Danny Vettrino was gunned down at a parking lot in the Gym Hill area of Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines at around 11:30pm on Wednesday, June 24, after returning from a day out.

The 37-year-old, from Dysart in Fife, suffered a number of gunshot wounds to his body and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force has launched an investigation into Danny’s death and reported earlier this week that a post-mortem examination will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.

A spokesperson for the force said: “At approximately 11.30pm, police responded to a report of shots being fired at Gym Hill, Canouan.”

READ MORE: Scottish man found dead with ‘multiple gunshot wounds’ on Caribbean island

Scot missing and feared dead in Ukraine

A Scottish man is missing and feared to have been killed in Ukraine while fighting against Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces.

Stefan Sivers, from Aberdeen, is reported on social media posts to have died in Kopanky, near Borova, Kharkov region, on May 23.

The posts from pro-Russian accounts were shared last week and indicate that he arrived in Ukraine last year but was wounded in another incident in December.

A picture is being shared of Sivers wearing combat gear and holding a machine gun with a red cross and a caption claiming he has been ‘eliminated.’

The Foreign Office has confirmed Sivers is missing and that they are in contact with Ukrainian authorities.

READ MORE: Scots mercenary fighting Russia in Ukraine missing and feared dead

Da Vinci rapist facing jail for sex attacks

Da Vinci rapist Robert Greens is facing another lengthy jail term after being convicted of sex attacks on a woman. Greens struck close to the time he set upon a 19-year-old Dutch student at Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian in May 2005 in a crime that shocked the country.

The now 48-year-old was back at the High Court in Glasgow having denied these latest accusations. It was there he was previously locked up for 10 years for the rape of the student, who was brutally attacked while visiting the historic Rosslyn chapel that featured in the best-selling Dan Brown book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and film adaptation of the novel starring Tom Hanks.

Prosecutors were allowed to lead evidence on that crime during Greens’ trial this week to help corroborate these new allegations. The 2005 victim had also been listed as a Crown witness, but ultimately did not return to Scotland to testify.

Greens spoke for the first time in open court about that attack, sobbing as he testified and claiming he “deserved” his punishment. But, he refuted the accusations against the other woman insisting he had not forced her into having sex.

READ MORE: Da Vinci rapist faces more jail time after brutal sex attacks on woman in Midlothian

Teen sexually assaulted in Coatbridge

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A teenage girl was sexually assaulted in a lane in the early hours of this morning, Sunday, June 28.

The 17-year-old was walking close to Auldhame Street and Blair Road in Coatbridge at around 1am.

She was approached by a man and then sexually assaulted. Police have launched a probe to try and track down her attacker.

The investigation is ongoing and a police presence is expected to remain in the area.

The teen’s attacker is described as white with dark hair and he was wearing a padded jacket and dark trousers at the time of the sex attack.

READ MORE: Teenage girl sexually assaulted in Coatbridge lane as police hunt attacker

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The 20-year-old suffered injuries in the early hours of Sunday in Oldham Street.

Police were called to the scene at around 2.18am on June 28.

Emergency services attended, and the man was taken to hospital with injuries consistent with a stab wound.

His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

No arrests have been made at this stage, and police are appealing for witnesses.

Chief Inspector Robert MacGregor, neighbourhood lead for GMP’s City of Manchester district, said:

“This incident will understandably cause concern for the community and whilst the injuries suffered by the victim are neither life threatening, nor life changing, Greater Manchester Police are committed to diligently investigating all knife crime and bringing offenders to justice.

“The response of emergency services overnight was quick and detectives will now continue to carry out enquiries.

“This is believed to be an isolated incident with no risk to the wider public.

“Neighbourhood Officers will be in the area today to speak with local residents and businesses to provide reassurance.”

Police are urging anyone with information to contact them on 101, quoting log 495 of June 28.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After democratic socialist Claire Valdez defeated an establishment-backed candidate in New York’s congressional primary last week, her elated supporters quickly turned their attention to a new target.

“You’re next!” they chanted when an image of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York flashed on the television screens at Valdez’s victory party in a renovated Brooklyn warehouse.

The message alarmed Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, whose district borders the one that Valdez is poised to represent. Jeffries would likely be the first Black speaker of the House if Democrats regain the majority, Meeks said, and “people died to see something like that opportunity.”

The episode reflects the party’s dilemma in a populist age.

As left-wing insurgents make inroads in New York and elsewhere, their campaigns are confronting legacy institutions led by people of color. For a party that prides itself on diversity, the clashes have exacerbated fierce debates over identity politics and long-standing rifts between progressives and moderates.

The outcome will determine who holds power within the Democratic coalition as it battles for control of Congress and prepares for what is expected to be a sprawling and searing presidential primary in 2028.

Although minority-led organizations have historically been viewed as more radical and antiestablishment, some Democratic leaders now view the left-wing surge as driven by white college graduates. Progressives argue that their agenda remains popular within communities of color.

“It’s complicated,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “But these changes are a real opportunity for our communities, and maybe a passing of the baton to a younger generation of leaders.”

Jeffries brushed off a question about whether he could face his own primary challenge.

“When you ask me a serious question, I’ll give you a serious answer,” he told a reporter from Fox Business.

A past generation of minority political leaders went from outsiders to insiders

Once the distant dreams of Black and Latino activists, the political machines in many communities of color have become a central part of the Democratic establishment. They were a key driver of the party’s embrace of civil rights and diversity as core values.

Some of the party’s most tenured members and influential dynasties now come from communities of color, and politicians such as Jeffries rose through the ranks of such systems to serve as party leaders.

But such organizations were built in a different era.

“A lot of our communities are anchored in older, more traditional voters, and those older, more traditional voters carry older, more traditional values,” said Dallas Jones, the former Texas political director for Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020. In Democrats’ current debates of “people versus elites,” Jones said, “you cannot help but find that the Black community is caught up in the middle of it.”

Jones said that yearning for generational change helped topple Texas Rep. Al Green, a progressive seeking his 12th term in Congress, in May. A longtime civil rights activist, Green, 78, was defeated by Christian Menefee, a 38-year-old first-term congressman who is also Black, to represent a majority-Black district anchored by Houston.

The Democratic electorate grew slightly whiter in 2024 as Donald Trump made some gains among Black and Hispanic voters. In addition, white Democrats have become more likely to describe themselves as liberal than are Black and Hispanic Democrats, according to Gallup research from 2022.

Progressives argue that they are challenging longtime lawmakers based on their establishment ties rather than any shift in the party’s demographics. They point to progressives recently winning House Democratic primaries for majority-minority districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as signs of deeper appeal.

“The point of being a senior Democrat is you’re supposed to be able to deliver more and impact the agenda,” said Regina Monge, a strategist who led a political action committee that backed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in last year’s race for New York mayor. “People are supposed to feel the benefits of their leadership in the district.”

Senior lawmakers are skeptical that much can be extrapolated nationally from last week’s results, where Mamdani successfully pushed a slate of three insurgent candidates.

“Our path to 218” — the number of seats necessary for a House majority — “wasn’t affected by those races that are getting a lot of news,” said Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress. “The mayor made some endorsements, and those individuals won, and I presume that they’re going to come and vote with the Democratic caucus when they get here.”

Generational change clashes with legacy in closely watched primaries

The new style of challenger often rises from outside the traditional civil rights and organizing structures that characterized some communities for decades.

Valdez, who is Latina and Native American, won the primary to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who was born in Puerto Rico.

The current caucus leader, Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, lost his primary to Darializa Avila Chevalier, another democratic socialist, in a district that includes parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. Espaillat was born in the Dominican Republic; Chevalier’s parents are Dominican immigrants.

“We’re really looking at a moment in time where people are anxious about the future of our country,” said Katharine Pichardo, who leads Latino Victory.

Pichardo was a senior adviser to Espaillat’s first successful run for Congress, in 2016. She said Espaillat’s message “needed to focus more on kitchen table issues” and be “forward looking” if he were to ward off Chevalier.

For incumbents to defeat populist and more ideological challengers, she said, they must “give people a sense of security against the very real anxiety over what’s going on in Washington, D.C.”

Basil Smikle, a former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party who now teaches at Columbia University, said insurgent candidates and their voters see institutions as “inherently flawed.” He said party leaders “would do well to turn with the momentum and not against it.”

“This is an opportunity for Hakeem to turn around and say, ‘Look, I’m with you, I’m not going to stand in your way, let’s iron out our differences and make me speaker, get us back to power,’” Smikle said. “That would be the best way to bridge this divide.”

On Saturday, Jeffries took a step in that direction by congratulating New York City’s Democratic nominees, including Valdez and Chevalier. He did not mention his ideological disagreements with them or his support for their opponents, instead stressing that they would help “crush far-right extremism.”

“The path is different but the work is the same,” Jeffries said.

_____

Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report.

George Russell said it was “good to remind himself that he can do it” as he claimed a morale-boosting victory from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Austria.

It was Russell’s first win since the opening day of the season in Melbourne and allowed him to close to within 40 points of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the top of the championship. The Italian teenager finished third, narrowly running out of time to catch Verstappen at the end.

There was disappointment for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, who were well off the pace both in terms of their car and their strategy. 

Hamilton finished fifth on a three-stop strategy, over 26 seconds behind Russell, with team-mate Charles Leclerc even further back. 

It is a blow to the seven-time world champion’s hopes of winning a record eighth title, although the Red Bull Ring is a bit of an outlier given its altitude. Hamilton drops behind Russell in the championship, 46 points behind Antonelli.

“The tough races definitely test you psychologically,” Russell said at the finish. “These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it. Single lap, race pace, was very strong this weekend, on a track that was probably not well suited to my style. I look forward to heading to Silverstone!”

More to follow…

Fourteen people were killed when a helicopter crashed in Saudi Arabia, state media reported on Sunday.

The helicopter, belonging to state oil giant Aramco, crashed in the eastern coastal city of Ras Tanura at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT) killing all those on board, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

All 14 victims were Saudi citizens, it reported, with investigations under way to determine the cause of the crash.

Aramco did not immediately comment.

The Saudi energy ministry shared its condolences with the victims’ families.

Ras Tanura is home to a major Aramco oil refinery – one of the largest in the Middle East.

The Reuters news agency reported that the company had resumed crude oil loading at the site on Friday after an almost four-month pause due to the war in the Middle East.

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Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

The incident happened at around 1.50am on Sunday

A bus was attacked by a group of masked youths in the early hour of this morning in Derry. Police received a report at 1.50am on Sunday, June 28, that a bus was attacked in the Drumahoe Park and Ride area of the city.

It was reported there had been an altercation on the bus, and as it approached Drumahoe, it was met “by a group of around 10-15 youths wearing face coverings.”

The bus driver drove off, believing the group wanted to board the bus and continue the altercation. This resulted in the youths throwing items at the bus, as well as punching and kicking the vehicle.

A top-level window was smashed and another window was damaged in the incident. In case any passengers had been injured, the driver continued on to the hospital.

However, another small group of around six people wearing face coverings attempted to attack the bus as it passed the Ivy Mead area.

PSNI Chief Inspector Ferriby said: “We received a report at around 1.50am that a bus had been attacked in the Drumahoe Park & Ride area of the city.

“Officers attended the scene, where it was reported that there had been an altercation on the bus, with reference made to the park and ride area. As it approached Drumahoe, the vehicle was subsequently met by a group of around 10-15 youths wearing face coverings.

“Believing the group wanted to board the bus and continue the altercation, the driver drove off, resulting in the youths throwing a number of items at the vehicle. They also punched and kicked the bus.

“One of the top-level windows on the bus was subsequently smashed and another window damaged.

“The driver continued on to the hospital, in case any of the passengers had been injured. As the bus passed the Ivy Mead area, however, another smaller group of approximately six people, again wearing face coverings, attempted to attack the bus.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and we would ask that anyone with information which could assist, contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals, quoting reference 175 of 28/06/26.

“Alternatively, you can call us on the 101 number or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

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Rail replacement buses are now available to those facing disruption today, with services running in both directions between Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent, National Rail says.

The first bus is estimated to arrive at Crewe at 5pm, while in Stoke-on-Trent, the first bus is set to arrive at 4:45pm.