Jack Draper's return to competitive tennis in Montreal turned into a painful and emotional experience on Tuesday, as the British star was beaten 6-3 2-6 6-2 by France's Terence Atmane in the first round of the Canadian Open.
Draper, who withdrew from Wimbledon earlier this summer, was making just his sixth tournament appearance of the year. The match showed genuine promise after a sluggish opening set, with Draper dominating the second convincingly. But in the deciding set, his serve speed and groundstroke power dropped off noticeably, pointing to the recurring bone bruise in his left arm that has plagued him since reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 4 in June 2025.
The most striking moment came at 4-1 down in the third set, when Draper sat through an entire changeover visibly overcome with emotion, crying in a way that appeared uncontrollable. Showing admirable fight, he nearly converted a break and held serve once more before Atmane closed out the match in one hour and 52 minutes.
The 24-year-old has been working with Sir Andy Murray as part of his coaching team since May, but Montreal was only the second tournament Draper has managed to play during that partnership. Earlier in 2026, he reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and the semi-finals at Eastbourne, yet has struggled to maintain any consistent rhythm on tour.
With a wild card into the Cincinnati Open next week, serious questions now surround his fitness ahead of that event and, more critically, the US Open. Fellow Brit Jacob Fearnley provided a brighter note for British tennis, advancing with a 7-4 6-4 victory in his own first-round match.
TennisDraw users had flagged Draper's fitness as a major concern when making their Canadian Open bracket picks.
