Draper in tears amid injury concern during defeat in Montreal

Jack Draper loses to Terence Atmane on return from injury as arm issue appears to hamper Brit in Montreal; watch the National Bank Open, with the WTA Tour event in Toronto and ATP Tour event in Montreal, live on Sky Sports through to the finals on August 13

Tuesday 4 August 2026 23:37, UK

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Jack Draper was left in tears after losing to Terence Atmane as the Brit's long-term arm injury appeared to resurface and hamper him on his return to action at the Canadian Open.

Playing in just his sixth tournament of the year, and a first since pulling out of Wimbledon, Draper was beaten 6-3 2-6 6-2 by France's Atmane.

After a rusty start, Draper appeared to have found form as he dominated the second set, but his performance suddenly dropped off in the decider as the power in his serves and groundstrokes reduced massively.

When trailing 4-1, Draper sat down and spent the entire changeover crying, apparently uncontrollably.

The 24-year-old carried on and almost claimed a break before spiritedly holding serve one more time, before Atmane closed out victory in an hour and 52 minutes.

Draper had established himself as one of the biggest challengers to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's dominance of the men's game as he moved up to a career high No 4 ranking in June 2025.

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It was around that time that Draper began suffering from a bone bruise in his left arm, an injury that has continued to hamper him ever since.

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In 2026, he put together runs to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in March and the semi-finals at Eastbourne in June, but has been unable to stay on the court consistently.

Sir Andy Murray has been part of Draper's coaching team since May, but Montreal was just the second tournament he has been able to play in during their partnership.

Draper has a wild card into next week's Cincinnati Open, but his defeat in Montreal is likely to raise fresh doubts over his participation there and at the US Open.

Defeat for Jack Draper on his return to action in Montreal as Terence Atmane takes the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-2Keep your head up. We hope to see you again soon, @jackdraper0 🖤#NBO26 pic.twitter.com/FSz1irZhnv

There was better news for British tennis elsewhere, with Jacob Fearnley beating Adrian Mannarino 7-6(4) 6-4 to reach the next round. He will face 13th seed Jakub Mensik, while Cameron Norrie takes on 29th seed Ignacio Buse after his first-round win on Monday.

Sky Sports pundit Annabel Croft, who was commentating on the match, said it was "very upsetting" to see Draper in such distress.

Responding immediately to Draper's tears, Croft said: "This is pretty emotional. He's bent over and literally erupting with emotion here. It's very, very upsetting to see."

Reflecting on the moment as the match neared an end, Croft added: "I can only assume that the arm is hurting.

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"He couldn't hold it in and he let it all out. You just wonder what is going through his mind for all that emotion to be there.

"I think we both felt that it was to do with this horrible injury that might have reared its ugly head again, and the knowledge of what it's taken for him to get out on court again.

"He actually played a very decent second set and it was looking fairly positive, but then there was this massive drop-off of pace on that serve.

"And it was very obvious very quickly that he was not going after big serves, he was rolling them in. He hasn't really hit a serve since, and hasn't really gone after any too many ground strokes either."

There was more disappointing injury news for the ATP Tour as Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Cincinnati Open as he continues his recovery from a right wrist injury.

The Spaniard's withdrawal raises doubts over whether he will be ready to defend his US Open title when the final major of the year begins on August 30.

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open.Wishing all the best to our 2025 champion in his recovery process. Can’t wait to welcome you next year! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ls1PCFtCfk

Alcaraz remains at world No 2 despite not having played competitively since April, when he withdrew in Barcelona because of the injury.

The problem prevented Alcaraz from defending his French Open title and denied him from attempting to win Wimbledon for a third time.

Watch the National Bank Open, with the WTA Tour in Toronto and ATP Tour in Montreal, through to the finals on August 13 live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.

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