Jack Draper Forced to Retire From Barcelona Open Due to Knee Injury
- Jack Draper was forced to retire from his first-round match at the Barcelona Open on Monday, April 13, 2026, due to a right knee injury.
- Draper, who entered the ATP 500 event as the eighth seed, began the match strongly by winning the first set 6-3.
- Draper received attention from a physio and had tape applied to an area below his right knee shortly before the start of the deciding set.
Jack Draper was forced to retire from his first-round match at the Barcelona Open on Monday, April 13, 2026, due to a right knee injury. The British player conceded the contest during the third set of his opening match against Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Draper, who entered the ATP 500 event as the eighth seed, began the match strongly by winning the first set 6-3. However, he started experiencing significant difficulty with his movement during the second set, which Etcheverry won 6-3 to level the match.
Match Details and Retirement
The injury became more apparent early in the second set. Draper received attention from a physio and had tape applied to an area below his right knee shortly before the start of the deciding set.
Despite the medical intervention, Draper continued to struggle with his movement in the third set. After his serve was broken twice, he retired with Etcheverry leading 4-1 in the set. The total match score ended at 6-4, 3-6, 1-4 in favor of Etcheverry, with the match lasting one hour and 46 minutes.
Jack taking some time to think about it during the changeover and deciding that he couldn’t play anymore. I think it’s the right call. The knee just went very early in the second set, and he’s been pulling up, it’s just been getting worse and worse.
Naomi Cavaday, Tennis TV Commentator
Following the retirement, Etcheverry described Draper as a great fighter
and a great competitor
, expressing his hope that the Briton recovers quickly to return to the tour.
Injury History and Comeback Context
The knee issue appears to be a new development for the 24-year-old, who has spent much of the recent period managing a different condition. Draper had been absent from competitive tennis for six months due to a bruised bone in his left serving arm.
He returned to action in February 2026 and has since played four events. His comeback included a fourth-round victory over Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells, though he later suffered a second-round loss to Reilly Opelka at the Miami Open. To prioritize his recovery from the arm injury, Draper withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters immediately preceding the Barcelona Open.
Ranking Implications and Future Outlook
Currently ranked 28th in the world, Draper faces a challenging situation regarding his ATP ranking. He is now the British number two, having been replaced in the top spot by Cameron Norrie last month.
The retirement in Barcelona comes at a critical time before the Madrid Open. Draper is scheduled to defend 650 ranking points in Madrid, representing more than a third of his total points, after reaching the final of the tournament in 2025.
Having previously reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 before Wimbledon in 2025, Draper risks falling outside the world’s top 40 if he is unable to compete in the Madrid Open.