Jack Draper Retires in First Round at Barcelona Open
Britain's Jack Draper was forced to retire during the third set of his opening match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open, citing a knee injury.
Playing his first match of the clay-court season, Draper secured the first set 6-3 against Argentina's Etcheverry but began experiencing mobility issues, resulting in a 6-3 loss in the second set.
The 24-year-old received treatment from a physiotherapist and had tape applied below his right knee shortly before the deciding set commenced.
During the third set, Draper's serve was broken twice by Etcheverry. Struggling with court movement, Draper retired from the match when trailing 4-1.
Ranked 28th globally, Draper has been cautious in his return following an arm injury and withdrew from the recent Monte Carlo Masters prior to the tournament.
He was sidelined for six months due to a bruised bone in his left serving arm and resumed competitive play in February.
The Barcelona Open marked Draper's fourth tournament since his comeback.
Etcheverry praised Draper, calling him a "great competitor" and expressed hope for his swift return to the tour.
"I like how he plays. He's a great fighter," he said. "Hopefully he can recover as soon as he can to get back on tour because the tour likes him."
Cameron Norrie, who recently became Britain's number one player, is scheduled to face Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the first round later on Monday.
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