Draper retires in first round as injury woes continue

Jack Draper reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2024 Britain's Jack Draper had to retire in the third set of his first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open because of a knee injury. Draper, playing his first match of the clay-court season, won the first set against Argentina's Etcheverry 6-3 but began to have difficulty with his movement and lost the second set 6-3. The 24-year-old received attention from a physio and had tape applied to an area below his right knee shortly before the deciding set started.

Draper's serve was broken twice by Etcheverry in the third set and, after struggling to get around the court, he conceded the contest at 4-1 down. Draper, ranked 28th in the world, has been cautious during a return from an arm injury and pulled out of the recent Monte Carlo Masters before the tournament. He was absent for six months because of a bruised bone in his left serving arm, before returning to competitive action in February.

The Barcelona Open was Draper's fourth event since he made his comeback. Etcheverry said Draper is a "great competitor" and is keen to see him back on court again in the near future. "I like how he plays.

He's a great fighter," he said. "Hopefully he can recover as soon as he can to get back on tour because the tour likes him. " Cameron Norrie, who replaced Draper as British number one last month, faces Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the first round later on Monday.