Jack Draper was back on the practice courts at the Canadian Open less than 24 hours after a tearful first-round defeat. The British No. 6 had not competed since June due to an arm injury and returned as a wildcard in Montreal, but lost 6-4 2-6 6-2 to Terence Atmane on Tuesday. During the third set, Draper broke down in tears at his bench.
Emotional return
Draper, 24, has been battling arm and knee issues for over a year. He has yet to address the tearful scenes or confirm whether he felt pain in his arm during the match. His reaction raised questions about his participation in next week's Cincinnati Open, for which he has already received a wildcard.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, Draper was seen on Court 4 for an hour-long practice session with his team. He was later spotted cooling down on a bike in the players' gym.
Struggles on court
The Canadian Open was only Draper's seventh tournament of the season. After losing the first set, he fought back to take the second 6-2 with a forehand quality of 9.7. But in the decider, his serve slowed and he fell a double break down. Trailing 1-4, the tears began at the change of ends.
Commentator Adam Fielder noted on Sky Sports: "We've noticed, certainly the last 10, 15 minutes, he's just not looked right, so one can only imagine that maybe he's feeling the injury again." Annabel Croft added: "That's my instinct. I'm with you, that would be my first instinct, is that he knows what's going on inside his body, and he knows the work he's done to try and get back on court."
Injury history
Draper has suffered from bone bruising in his left arm since last year. He took a seven-week break between Wimbledon and the US Open, won one match in Flushing Meadows, then withdrew and ended his 2025 season. This year, a knee issue sidelined him from April to June, and he missed Wimbledon and the DC Open due to the arm injury.
