Jack Draper missed the Monte Carlo Masters, delaying the start of the clay court season.
The British star had hoped to kick-start the 2026 clay court season in Monte Carlo (which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Tennis from April 5 to 12), but his quest for a first clay court title will have to wait.
It remains to be seen whether Draper will play in his next scheduled event, the Barcelona Open, which will be held from April 13 to 19, after his 2025 season was suspended due to an arm injury.
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Highlights of the match between Jack Draper and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells
The 24-year-old has played just one match since Wimbledon in July, making his return to action in February when England beat Norway in the Davis Cup before playing in Doha.
He made an impressive run to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells as the defending champion earlier this month, defeating former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the fourth round, but lost to Riley Opelka in the first match at the Miami Open.
Draper will miss the first clay court swing tournament in the Principality.
What does missing Monte Carlo mean for Draper?
He has missed out on tour-level tournaments for six months due to a humerus contusion and told Sky Sports he is “in a hole” due to the “complicated” nature of the injury.
Draper said he intends to defend his Indian Wells title and stressed that although he had a great run, he couldn’t maintain his form in Miami.
In an interview with Sky Sports Tennis, Tim Henman said of Draper: “He’s back on tour and at the level he was when he won the title here 12 months ago. He still has to continue to develop. Form is temporary, class is permanent.”
“Jack will definitely be back!”
After Barcelona, Draper has Munich, Hamburg, Geneva and the Masters 1000 in Madrid and Rome as potential options before the start of the French Open at Roland Garros from May 24 to June 7.
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Highlights from last year’s final between Draper and Holger Ruhn in Indian Wells
He made his mark on dirt last year, becoming the first British player to reach the final of the Masters 1000 on clay since Andy Murray, who reached the 2016 Madrid Open final, but lost in three sets to Casper Ruud.
The Briton backed that up by reaching the quarter-finals in Rome and reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, his best performance to date.
Djokovic also withdraws from Masters 1000 tournament
Djokovic loses to Draper in Indian Wells thriller
Djokovic withdrew from the clay court tournament after also withdrawing from the ongoing Miami Open due to a right shoulder injury.
The 38-year-old Serbian won the Monte Carlo Masters title in 2013 and 2015.
Djokovic will next compete in the Mutua Madrid Open, the clay event of the ATP Masters 1000. The main tournament in the Spanish capital will be held from April 22nd to May 3rd.
Former US Open finalist Taylor Fritz also withdrew from the tournament due to injury, as did fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda.
A late influx of withdrawals opened the door for Giovanni Mpesi Pellicar and Daniel Altmaier to directly qualify for the main draw.
British number one Cameron Norrie will go into this year’s clay swing hoping to continue his strong form that has seen him inch closer to the world top 20 since his quarter-final at Indian Wells.
He reached the semifinals of the 2025 Geneva Open and French Open, but fell short to Novak Djokovic in both.
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