Jack Draper's clay-court season got off to a disappointing start as he was forced to retire from his first-round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open due to an injury. Despite a strong start, winning the first set 6-3, Draper struggled with his movement and had to have his right knee taped by a physio. However, he was unable to recover and was broken twice in the third set before withdrawing from the match, with Etcheverry leading 4-1.
Draper, who is ranked higher than Etcheverry, had started well but was hindered by his knee from the start of the second set. Etcheverry praised Draper, saying he was a great competitor and fighter, and hoped he could recover soon to return to the tour. This was Draper's fourth tournament back on the ATP Tour since recovering from a left-arm injury that had kept him sidelined since last August's US Open. He is next due to play at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid from April 22.
Meanwhile, British No 1 Cameron Norrie secured a place in the second round with a grueling three-set win over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. Norrie won the opening set 6-4, but Wawrinka took the second on a tiebreak.
However, Norrie emerged victorious in the third set, securing a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 win. Norrie will now play American Ethan Quinn in the second round. He admitted to not feeling well physically but managed to dig deep mentally to secure the win.