(Video) Jack Draper Caught in an Outrageous Wardrobe Malfunction at the Dubai Open

Jack Draper crashes out of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the second round.

(Video) Jack Draper Caught in an Outrageous Wardrobe Malfunction at the Dubai Open

Jack Draper was caught in an outrageous malfunction (via X/Jose Morgado/Archsicmind)

In Short
  • Jack Draper experienced a wardrobe malfunction during his second-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
  • He lost to Arthur Rinderknech with a final score of 7-5, 6(4)-7, 6-4, eliminating him from the tournament.
  • Draper will next compete at the Indian Wells Open, where he is the defending champion.

Jack Draper was caught up in an awkward situation at the Dubai Tennis Championships during his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech. The British star suffered a hilarious wardrobe malfunction in the ATP 500 match, which marked his third appearance on the court this season.

Draper, who suffered a bruised bone and a shoulder injury in the space of two months last year, had to wait for 164 days to mark his return in a tour-level event in the men’s circuit. The former World No.5, who was aiming to break Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s dominance on tour, had featured at the Davis Cup qualifiers, representing Great Britain earlier this month.

He was expected to follow it up by playing at the Qatar Open, but the British No.1 opted to focus on the Dubai Tennis Championships. The tournament was a place to pick ranking points after deciding not to defend his runner-up Qatar Open finish. He won his opening match in Dubai against Quentin Halys 7-6(8), 6-3.

The 24-year-old was up against Rinderknech on Wednesday (February 25), in the second round of the tournament. The World No.15 almost played the entire first set of the match against the Frenchman before he noticed that his Vuori shirt was worn on back to front. In a moment of awkward surprise, he tried to remedy the situation.

As he collected a ball from the ball boy to serve for the 12th game of the first set, Draper gave a wry smile after rearranging his top so it was on the correct way. He went on to lose the serve to the Frenchman Rinderknech. Rinderknech, who reached the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, is now in the top 40 of the ATP rankings.

Rinderknech made some startling progress in his game last year, beating Alexander Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon, his biggest win of the season. He also defeated former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters and went on to finish as a runner-up.

In a match that needed physical toughness and mental strength, Rinderknech had it more than Draper on the court. The Frenchman’s strength in the third round proved vital in the end as Draper looked to have run out of ideas after winning the second set. Draper will look to build his confidence with his opening match at the event.

Jack Draper crashes out of the Dubai Tennis Championships

Jack Draper’s potent weapon on the court has been his aggressive style of play and ability to read his opponent’s tactics. But that was lacking during his match against Arthur Rinderknech, who showed more physical tenacity. However, Draper made a good start to the match by losing just two points in his opening four games.

Jack Draper
Jack Draper (Image via X/Bastien Fachan)

But in the crucial moment of the match, he failed to take his first break point in the 11th game before Rinderknech seized the opportunity to clinch the opening set. In the second set, Draper found himself under pressure as he withstood three break points to restore parity at 3-3, then quickly reset to push for a tiebreak.

In the second set tiebreak, Draper won four of the first five points before Rinderknech tried to seize control. Draper needed just two points to send the game to a decider. In the third set, Rinderknech forced the breakthrough. He broke the British star early and made sure to continue with the momentum.

He won the match 7-5, 6(4)-7, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. He will face Andrey Rublev for a place in the last four of the tournament. Meanwhile, Draper will turn his focus to the Indian Wells Open, which begins on March 4. The British star is the defending champion.

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