On this occasion, however, Draper did manage to step onto the court, showing some early signs of tension—though he was playing without the supportive compression sleeve he had worn during his latest matches.
A smile appeared on his face by the third game, after he successfully anticipated a difficult serve from Atmane and hit an improbable winning shot that thrilled the spectators and brought the score to deuce.
After failing to break Atmane’s serve, resulting in the French player taking the opening set 6-3, Draper started displaying flashes of the brilliant 2025 form that had propelled him to the world number four spot the previous June.
During the second set, the spectators in Montreal cheered loudly as Draper delivered a potent cross-court forehand, cruising toward an authoritative 6-2 set victory.
He seemed well-positioned to complete a comeback win, but a noticeably weakened version of Draper emerged for the deciding third set, giving away the first game despite holding a 40-15 advantage.
The 2024 US Open semifinalist showed visible frustration during the fourth game, squandering a clear break point opportunity by sending an exhausted-looking forehand straight into the net.
Following another break that put him down 4-1 in the subsequent game, Draper sat on his bench during the changeover and became visibly emotional, brushing away tears from his face.
Atmane subsequently held serve to seal the victory, booking a second-round match against Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
Although Draper is scheduled to play in next week’s Cincinnati Open via a wildcard invitation, this setback casts uncertainty over his participation there, as well as in the upcoming US Open starting on August 23.
He is slated to team up once again with Jessica Pegula in New York, following their run to the semifinals of the updated mixed doubles tournament in 2025. Nonetheless, the American player emphasized that Draper’s physical well-being must come first.
“I’m aware he has been dealing with some injury troubles lately, and I could see he had a very difficult time during his match,” Pegula remarked at her pre-tournament media availability in Toronto.
“We are scheduled to play together [at the US Open]. Clearly, he isn’t fully fit right now, so we will have to see what happens. He is a wonderful person, and I truly love partnering with him. I just hope he recovers soon so we can see him back on the court.”
In earlier action, British number five Jacob Fearnley defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6 6-4, earning a spot in the second round against Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic.
