At 4-1 down in the third, play was briefly halted as the 24‑year‑old took a medical timeout, and minutes later he was forced to retire. The commentary team summed it up: “Well unfortunately, that is the end of the road.” The nature of the injury remains unclear, though it is understood to be unrelated to the bone bruising in his left humerus that kept him out for six months.
“I’ve tried hard these last months to stay positive and give my all. It will take time but I will work my way out of this. Thank you for all the support throughout this process!”
Draper also did not play a match between last year’s US Open and Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier in February, with bone bruising in his left humerus derailing his 2025 season. The 24‑year‑old then skipped Monte Carlo delaying the start of his clay campaign and opting for a week of training instead.
Upon arriving in Barcelona, Draper told ATP Media: “Hard decision, Monte Carlo is definitely one of the tournaments the last couple of years I’ve really enjoyed being at and playing. Beautiful event. But on the same sense, I think I’ve been off the tour for so long, that after the trip to the States that I did, it definitely gave me some lessons on what I need to improve.
“I think, with the injury I’ve had, I’ve not really been able to train properly and really work on my game. I’ve kind of been in survival mode a little bit to get back on the match court and back on the tour. So I knew I needed a couple of weeks to really put in some work and earn the right to hopefully rise up the rankings again. That decision was purely about the tennis.
“There’s no doubt that the injury I had with my arm, I’m still having to manage it and understand it, and definitely do all of the right things for my body. But I’m going in the right direction with everything. It’s a slow process, but I feel like I’m going in the right direction.