Jack Draper’s injury-plagued season took another painful turn on Monday when the British No. 2 was forced to retire from his first-round match at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with a right knee problem, casting doubt over his participation at the Madrid Open later this month where he has significant ranking points to defend.
Draper, seeded eighth at the ATP 500 event on the red clay of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, won the opening set against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 before his movement visibly deteriorated through the second.
A physio was called to the court during the changeover between sets, with strapping applied below the right knee, but the treatment brought little relief. Etcheverry took the second set 6-3 and broke twice early in the third, and with Draper trailing 1-4 and struggling to push off his right leg between points, the 24-year-old walked to the net and ended the contest after one hour and 45 minutes.
The injury concern
The knee problem did not appear without warning. Strapping had been visible on the same joint during Draper’s first-round match at Indian Wells last month, though he had insisted at the time the joint was not a concern.
He subsequently reached the quarter-finals in California, defeating Novak Djokovic along the way, before losing his opening match in Miami to Reilly Opelka.
Having skipped Monte Carlo entirely to manage his physical condition ahead of the clay swing, Monday’s retirement represented a fresh setback for a player still working his way back from a bone stress injury to his left arm that kept him sidelined for six months through the second half of 2025.
In a post shared on Instagram following the match, Draper acknowledged the difficulty of his situation. “Sad to retire in Barcelona,” he wrote. “I’ve tried hard these last months to stay positive and give my all. It will take time, but I will work my way out of this. Thank you for all the support throughout this process.”
The ranking stakes
The timing is particularly damaging in terms of the rankings. Draper reached the final of the Madrid Open last year before losing to Casper Ruud, leaving him with 650 points to defend at the ATP Masters 1000 event that begins April 22.
Those points represent more than a third of his current total. A withdrawal or early exit in Madrid could see him drop well outside the world’s top 40, from his current position of No. 28, undoing much of the ground recovered during his comeback at Indian Wells.
Barcelona moves on
For Etcheverry, Monday’s result continued a strong run on clay. The Argentine, who had pushed Carlos Alcaraz to three sets in Monte Carlo the previous week, leads the ATP Tour with 13 clay-court wins this season and advances to face either Nuno Borges or Adrian Mannarino in the second round.
Etcheverry was generous in his assessment of his opponent. “He is a great competitor,” the Argentine said. “I like how he plays. He’s a great fighter and hopefully he can recover as soon as he can to get back on tour because the tour likes him.”
Draper is expected to undergo further assessment ahead of a decision on his Madrid participation.
