Jack Draper Drops Out of Monte-Carlo Masters

On Tuesday afternoon, top-ranked British men's tennis star Jack Draper announced he would not participate in the upcoming 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters.

According to Jonathan Jurejko's reporting for the BBC, Draper plans to continue training in London, England. The 24-year-old wants to continue building his fitness and improving his game ahead of the summer months.

Draper drops out of the Monte-Carlo Masters

British No. 2 Jack Draper has withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters ❌ pic.twitter.com/4DVRdCeWzk
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) March 31, 2026

Draper lost to American Reilly Opelka in his opening match at the Miami Open on March 20. Draper said he was "feeling good" physically after the loss, but also explained the importance of patience at the beginning of the marathon ATP season.

Draper missed most of the second half of the 2025 season after sustaining a "complex" and long-term bone bruising injury in his left serving arm. Draper lost in the second round of Wimbledon and did not play again until the U.S. Open, but ultimately withdrew from the final Grand Slam of the year at the last moment.

Draper's cautionary approach to his injury continued into 2026 when he missed the Australian Open. He eventually returned for a second round at the Dubai Tennis Championships and a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells (which included an impressive upset victory over Novak Djokovic before losing to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev).

Draper's clay court schedule

Opelka takes out Draper 👀

The American wins in two tiebreaks to secure a ticket in the third round#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/j9GNfzzrHJ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 20, 2026

Draper has trained on court this week with the intention of returning in time for the Barcelona Open. The clay court tournament is an ATP 500 event held from April 13-19. Meanwhile, the Monte-Carlo Masters runs from April 5-12. So, right now it just sounds like an extra week off for Draper. That is the same approach Djokovic and Taylor Fritz are taking to start the clay court season.

Currently, Draper is the World No. 25 (moving up one spot after the Sunshine Swing) with a singles record of 5-3. Let's hope the electrifying lefty can get back to action soon and return to the top of the ATP Rankings.

Jack Draper in Monte Carlo: "I don’t see why I can’t be really effective on this surface."

Today, Draper defeated Tommy Paul in just over an hour, reaching the Madrid quarterfinals for the first time 😮‍💨

Safe to say his game is effective on clay 🫡 pic.twitter.com/J9EjDshRmK
— TENNIS (@Tennis) April 30, 2025

Last year, Draper expressed optimism entering the Monte-Carlo Masters. "I don't see why I can't be really effective on this surface," Draper told the Tennis Channel. However, he suffered an upset defeat at the hands of eventual semifinalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Clay court season is here, and tennis fans can expect more swings in the rankings. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.