Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper pull out of same event after Wimbledon withdrawals
Neither Emma Raducanu nor Jack Draper is set to play the upcoming DC Open, following their respective withdrawals from Wimbledon. British No. 1 Raducanu pulled out of her home Grand Slam tournament on Sunday night, around 15 hours before she was due to play her first round match on Court 1, due to a stress fracture.
And Draper, the former world No. 4 who has spent the better part of 10 months sidelined by arm and knee injuries, soon followed. The 24-year-old was due to face Taylor Fritz on Centre Court in a blockbuster first-round clash on Tuesday. However, on Monday afternoon, he withdrew and confirmed he had reaggravated the bone bruising in his left arm, an issue that forced him to end his 2025 season in August.
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The Brits have not yet given a timeframe for their respective comebacks. Before their disappointing Wimbledon withdrawals, they were both featured on a poster for the ATP and WTA 500 event in Washington, which kicks off on July 27.
However, when organisers of the Mubadala DC Open unveiled their player list for 2026 on Wednesday, Raducanu and Draper were not featured. And the tournament has now confirmed that they are no longer in the preliminary field.
The ATP draw now features defending champion Alex de Minaur, plus Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Lorenzo Musetti, Jakub Mensik, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, Alex Michelsen, Learner Tien and Kei Nishikori.
The reigning WTA champion, Leylah Fernandez, will also compete. Venus Williams is set to play her first singles match since the Madrid Open in Washington. And Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Marta Kostyuk, Iva Jovic, Diana Shnaider, Jasmine Paolini, Anna Kalinskaya, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Alexandra Eala, and Liudmila Samsonova are also in the preliminary list.
“Bringing together five of the Top-10 and 15 of the world's Top 20 players, established champions, fan favourites, and the next generation of stars creates an incredible experience for everyone who comes to Washington,” tournament chairman Mark Ein said. “As the world's only combined ATP and WTA 500 tournament, we're excited to once again showcase the very best of professional tennis in our nation's capital.”
Raducanu enjoyed an impressive run to the Washington semi-finals last year, beating Marta Kostyuk, Naomi Osaka, and Maria Sakkari before losing to Anna Kalinskaya. But it could be a while before the world No. 33 returns to the match court, as she was recently photographed using crutches.
Announcing her withdrawal from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament, she said: “I’ve done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I’ve been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I’ve been medically advised to stop pushing through.”
Draper, meanwhile, has virtually no points to defend for the rest of the year. Last summer, he did not play between Wimbledon and the US Open, and won one match in New York before pulling out and ending his season. The current world No. 131 hired Andy Murray as his coach for the grass season, but played only one tournament, the Eastbourne Open, where he reached the semi-finals.
The day before he announced his Wimbledon withdrawal, the British No. 5 said he hoped to keep Murray in his team for the US Open. “This is the start of me and Andy’s relationship. I think that will carry on and I think we both hope that’s going to carry on. I think Andy really believes in me as a player and he knows I can achieve really, really great things,” he said.
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