Jack Draper Retires vs Etcheverry in Barcelona as Knee Issue Flares Up

Knee injury forces Jack Draper to retire in Barcelona Open first round

Playing his first clay match of 2026, Jack Draper pulled out of Barcelona with a knee issue. The world No. 28 risks a rankings drop if he misses Madrid next week.

Jack Draper retired with a knee injury while trailing Tomas Martin Etcheverry 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 in his Barcelona Open first round...

Britain’s Jack Draper had to retire from his Barcelona Open first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Monday.

The 24-year-old was dealing with what looked like a knee issue that flared up in the second set, and he eventually withdrew trailing 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 to the Argentine.

Draper came back in February after a six-month layoff due to a left arm injury that forced him to pull out of the US Open in August 2025.

This was his first match of the clay season after withdrawing from the Monte Carlo Masters, and his fourth tournament since returning from the injury to his serving arm.

The Englishman is currently world No. 28 but risks a significant rankings drop if he can’t play the Madrid Open next week.

Not the way we wanted it to end 😕@tometcheverry advances in Barcelona after Draper is forced to retire 3-6, 6-3, 4-1@bcnopenbs | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/eFz7gBlbKn

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 13, 2026

Last year Draper finished runner-up to Casper Ruud in the Spanish capital, so he has points to defend.

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed in Barcelona and faces Finland’s Otto Virtanen on Tuesday.