Jack Draper has delayed the start of his clay-court season after pulling out of the Monte-Carlo Masters, scheduled between April 5-12. The British player had been hoping to begin his 2026 campaign in the Principality, but his pursuit of a first clay title will have to wait.
Injury concerns and Barcelona next
Draper’s withdrawal raises questions about his participation in the Barcelona Open (April 13-19). His arm injury, which disrupted much of his 2025 season, continues to cast uncertainty over his schedule. He admitted to Sky Sports that he was “in a hole” due to the “complex” nature of the injury.
Return to competition
The 24-year-old returned to action in February during Great Britain’s Davis Cup victory against Norway, having played just one match since Wimbledon in July. He followed that with appearances in Doha, a strong run to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells where he defeated Novak Djokovic, and an early exit in Miami against Reilly Opelka.
Henman on Draper’s progress
Former British No 1 Tim Henman commented on Draper’s progress: “He’s back playing on the tour but at the level where he was 12 months ago winning the title here – he’s still just got to keep building. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Jack is definitely on the way back!” he said.
Clay-court opportunities ahead
After Barcelona, Draper has potential entries in Munich, Hamburg, Geneva, Madrid, and Rome before Roland Garros (May 24 – June 7). His clay-court breakthrough last year included reaching the Madrid Open final, the Rome quarter-finals, and the French Open fourth round.
Djokovic also withdraws
Novak Djokovic has also withdrawn from Monte Carlo after pulling out of Miami with a right shoulder injury. The 38-year-old Serb, who won the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2013 and 2015, is expected to return at the Madrid Open (April 22 – May 3).
Other withdrawals and British hopes
Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Sebastian Korda have also withdrawn, opening main-draw spots for Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Daniel Altmaier. Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie enters the clay swing in strong form, aiming to build on his Indian Wells quarter-final and Geneva semi-final runs in 2025.
Jack Draper in 2026
Ranked world no.25, Draper played his last match on the 20th of March when he surrendered to world no.64 Reilly Opelka 7-6(3) 7-6(0) in the 2nd round in Miami (draw).
At the moment, during this season the Brit has managed to achieve a composed 5-3 record.
