Jack Draper’s injury woes continued on Monday as he was forced to retire during his first-round match at the Barcelona Open. Amid the Brit’s latest setback, even his opponent was left saddened.
Draper appeared to be playing well before his retirement, winning the first set of his first-round contest against Tomás Martín Etcheverry. However, the Argentinian bounced back to take the second set and led 4-1 in the decider when Draper called it quits.
Jack Draper’s Retirement Leaves Opponent Devastated
After missing the Monte-Carlo Masters due to a recurring arm injury, Draper hoped to finally kick-start his clay-court swing at the Barcelona Open. But his return to action lasted less than three sets due to a right knee injury.
The injury flared up during the second set, and he called a medical timeout after losing the set. But his injury appeared to worsen as the match continued. Ultimately, the 24-year-old had to retire, cutting short yet another attempted comeback.
Afterward, Etcheverry heaped praise on Draper and wished his opponent a speedy recovery.
“He was playing unbelievable. He is a great competitor. I liked 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,” a devastated Etcheverry said during his post-match interview.
A tour-leading 13th clay-court win of 2026 👏@tometcheverry defeats Draper 3-6 6-3 4-1 RET. in Barcelona.#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/1Mk0JKXduV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 13, 2026
Draper’s 2026 season has been curtailed by injury. A bruised bone in his left arm that he sustained last season forced him to miss the Australian Open. He made his return to action at the Davis Cup and also competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships, before defeating Novak Djokovic as part of an encouraging run at Indian Wells.
His title defense at the BNP Paribas Open ended in the quarterfinals against Daniil Medvedev. Draper then played at the Miami Open, where he was eliminated in the second round by Reilly Opelka.
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It remains to be seen just how serious Draper’s latest injury is and whether he will face another extended period on the sidelines. But he will be keen to return to action in time for the French Open. The Brit made the fourth round at Roland Garros last year, his career-best showing at the tournament. Notably, he is also defending his run to the final at the Madrid Open later this month.
Meanwhile, Etcheverry will take on Adrian Mannarino or Nuno Borges in the second round of the 2026 Barcelona Open. The clay-court specialist will be looking to impress in Barcelona after a strong showing in Monte-Carlo, where he took Carlos Alcaraz to three sets.
