Jack Draper’s late withdrawal from Washington came after he had already been handed a wild card, a sequence of events that drew scrutiny around his return from injury. The former British No 1 has slipped to No 147 in the ATP Rankings after climbing as high as No 4 a little more than a year ago, with his progress slowed by an ongoing arm injury.

His decision to pull out on the eve of the tournament followed upbeat comments in pre-event interviews, but he responded with an emotional message after the withdrawal was confirmed. Draper is now looking to get back on court quickly, having accepted a wild card for next week’s ATP 1000 event in Montreal.

Tennis Canada announced the final wild cards for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal, naming Draper alongside Alexis Galarneau and Liam Draxl. The move suggests he is intent on continuing his North American hard court swing, even though questions remain about his readiness for the US Open next month.

Reaction to the Montreal announcement on X was mixed, with some replies arguing that other players were more deserving. Still, the prospect of a fit Draper remains significant, both for his comeback and for the tournament itself.

His own words after the Washington withdrawal pointed to a player trying to move through a difficult period without losing belief. “These last months have felt like nothing but adversity and setbacks,” Draper wrote on Instagram shortly after his withdrawal was announced.

“Most days I’ve spent in doubt, yet hopeful that I can keep taking positive steps forward and finding ways to progress.

“Being patient with the process has been my biggest challenge, but I know I’m getting closer to where I want to be.”

Draper also has support from Greg Rusedski, who believes he should receive a US Open main-draw wild card if his form and fitness improve. Rusedski said the 2025 Indian Wells Masters champion is still one of the sport’s biggest draws when healthy, and he also praised Andy Murray’s role in Draper’s ongoing player-coach partnership.

Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a frustrating defeat in Washington, where his emotions boiled over during a three-set loss to Alex de Minaur. The Greek player, who had recently rediscovered form by winning his first ATP Tour title of 2026 against Raphael Collignon in the Swiss Open final earlier this month, was expected to carry that momentum forward. Instead, he fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in a match that never found a high standard for long.

Tsitsipas arrived with a commanding 12-1 record against De Minaur, but that advantage meant little once the match turned ugly in the deciding set. He finished with 52 unforced errors and increasingly struggled to manage the pressure as the errors mounted. Midway through the third set, he lost his temper and smashed his racket, a burst of anger that brought a code violation.

Throughout the contest, Tsitsipas was also seen grumbling to his coaching team. He appeared to direct part of his frustration toward his Wilson Blade racket, while the windy conditions only added to the confusion in an error-heavy display.

For De Minaur, it was a first victory since his marriage to Katie Boulter, and he suggested the short turnaround after the wedding may have affected his own level. Still, he found a way through an awkward evening.

“Coming in, I really didn’t have too many expectations,” he stated.

“I’m glad that I was able to find a way in a tricky match. It wasn’t pretty tennis, but I did just enough to get over the line and I’m happy with that.

“Stefanos has been an incredible player for a very long time. He’s able to really hold that inside-out forehand really well and if you’re not able to find his backhand, you’re in a lot of trouble.

“In the past, I didn’t serve the best when I played him. Today I changed it up a little bit and it ended up working out for me.”

The win now sends De Minaur into a next-round meeting with Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world No 1 Lleyton. De Minaur, who has a close relationship with Hewitt through his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain, welcomed the matchup.

“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” added De Minaur, as he spoke as young Hewitt. “I’m really excited for him and this match-up. He’s playing amazingly and he has totally earned his place in this draw. I’m looking forward to this match-up for sure.”

Novak Djokovic is due to step into US Open doubles action with Aryna Sabalenka, with the two set to appear together as a pairing for the first time.

While Djokovic is best known for his singles work, his doubles career has occasionally surfaced in notable moments. He partnered Fernando Verdasco in Dubai in 2025 to mark the end of Verdasco’s career, and he has already teamed up with Stefanos Tsitsipas during the 2026 season.

The bigger picture, though, is his record in the format. Djokovic made his doubles debut in 2004 and, since then, has posted 67 wins against 83 defeats. That leaves him with a 46% win rate when playing with a partner, a modest return for a player of his standing.

Even so, the Serbian has produced a number of significant doubles results. He was part of Serbia’s 2010 Davis Cup title run and has also reached four other semi finals in the discipline.

His lone ATP doubles title arrived at the Queen’s Club Championships in 2010, when he teamed with Jonathan Erlich to lift the trophy. Djokovic has also been a finalist twice more. He and Radek Stepanek finished runners-up at the 2007 Adelaide International, while Djokovic and Carlos Gomez-Herrera lost in the Mallorca Open final.

At Masters level, he reached the semi finals in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and the Canadian Open. Those runs included partnerships with Fabio Fognini, Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic. In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, Djokovic and Nina Stojanović placed fourth for Serbia.

His only previous US Open doubles outing came in 2006, when he and Jimmy Wang were eliminated in the opening round by Thomas Johansson and Robert Lindstedt.

Djokovic’s doubles record may sit well below his singles standard, but it still reflects a body of work built across limited appearances and several notable results.