Jack Draper was visibly distraught after his comeback match at the Canadian Open, where a recurring left-arm problem appeared to hinder him as he lost to France’s Terence Atmane 6-3 2-6 6-2.
Playing only his sixth tournament of the year and his first outing since withdrawing from Wimbledon, the 24-year-old Brit took the second set convincingly after a slow start. But Draper’s level dropped sharply in the decider: his serves and groundstrokes lost much of their usual power and penetration, and he was unable to sustain the momentum. Atmane closed out the win in one hour and 52 minutes.
With the match at 4-1 in the final set, Draper sat down during the changeover and broke down in tears, an emotional scene that lasted the entire interval. He returned to the court, held serve once more and nearly earned a break, but Atmane sealed the victory.
Team and commentators attributed the distress to the left-arm injury that has long troubled Draper. He has suffered from a bone bruise in that arm in the past, and the issue has repeatedly disrupted his ability to train and compete. Despite flashes of form — including a run to a career-high world No 4 in June 2025 — Draper has struggled for consistent court time. In 2026 he reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and the semi-finals at Eastbourne, but availability has been limited.
Sir Andy Murray joined Draper’s coaching setup in May, yet Montreal was only the second tournament they have worked together in. Draper holds a wild card into next week’s Cincinnati Open, but his defeat and the visible arm problems are likely to increase doubt about whether he will play in Cincinnati and at the US Open later this month.
Sky Sports pundit Annabel Croft, who was commentating, described the moment as “very upsetting,” saying the emotion looked connected to pain and the frustration of getting back on court only to be hampered again. She noted the obvious drop-off in Draper’s serve and his reluctance to go after big groundstrokes in the final set.
There was better news for other British players in Montreal: Jacob Fearnley beat Adrian Mannarino 7-6(4) 6-4 and will face 13th seed Jakub Mensik, while Cameron Norrie also progressed and will face 29th seed Ignacio Buse.
Separately, the ATP calendar suffered another blow when Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Cincinnati Open as he continues to recover from a right wrist injury, casting further doubt over his readiness for the US Open.