Jack Draper broke down in tears after losing 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to France's Térence Atmane in the first round of the Canadian Open in Montreal on 4 August, his first competitive match in nearly two months.

Draper, who had pulled out of Wimbledon in June with a recurrence of a bruised bone in his left arm, saw his serve speed drop sharply during the third set and appeared visibly concerned about the same arm. After the final point, he sat hunched over in his chair, in floods of tears. The Times; The Guardian

The match was Draper's first since he reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne in June. He also withdrew from the DC Open in Washington the week before Montreal, meaning he arrived at the National Bank Open — the tournament's official name — short of match practice and ranked world No 147, a stark fall for a player who reached a career-high No 4 the previous summer. National Bank Open

Injuries have kept Draper on the sidelines for the better part of a year. He carried an 8-5 win-loss record for the 2026 season into Montreal — a thin tally for a man who was recently among the top five players in the world.

Both Draper and Atmane are left-handed, which made for awkward angles and long rallies on Montreal's hard courts. Draper did produce one eye-catching shot that drew gasps from the crowd, but the highlights were few. After taking the second set to level the match, his serve — the weapon that had carried him up the rankings — began to falter. Atmane, ranked outside the top 100, sensed the opening and closed out the decider.

The scheduling did Draper no favours. Sunday's play in Montreal was washed out by rain, pushing his first-round match to a Tuesday evening start. ATP Tour

Draper holds a wildcard entry for next week's Cincinnati Open, but his participation must now be in doubt given how his arm held up in Montreal. The bigger question is the US Open, which begins on 30 August in New York — the final Grand Slam of the year and the stage where Draper reached his first major quarter-final in 2024.

There was better news elsewhere for British tennis. Jacob Fearnley, Draper's compatriot, reached the second round in Montreal with a composed 7-6, 6-4 win over France's Adrian Mannarino.

World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz also withdrew from Cincinnati as he continues to recover from a wrist injury that has kept him off court since April, a reminder that Draper is far from the only top player whose body is dictating their season. The Guardian

For Draper, the immediate concern is simple: can the arm hold up for a best-of-five-sets tournament in New York? On the evidence in Montreal, the answer is far from certain.