Jack Draper’s dream run at Queen’s came to a crashing end—quite literally. On Saturday, the Brit fell 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a nail-biting semifinal against world No. 30 Jiri Lehecka. It wasn’t just the loss that grabbed headlines, though; it was Draper’s explosive reaction during it.  The match was a tight one, and Draper, who’s been dealing with tonsillitis, gave it everything he had. He was hoping to boost his grass-court résumé before Wimbledon. But despite pushing hard, he just couldn’t find a way past Lehecka’s steady game. That’s when things got heated and he smashed his racket against an LED board. Let’s just say fans weren’t too happy with his outburst.

It all boiled over at 5-5 in the final set. Jack Draper was 40-15 down and couldn’t respond to a slick Lehecka backhand that slipped past him and kissed the baseline. That break of serve put Lehecka just one game away from a spot in the final.

Frustrated and off-balance, the World No.6 stormed over to the side of the court and slammed his racket against a digital advertising board. The impact? Loud and damaging. Part of the Dunlop promotion screen went dark, the display visibly broken. And Draper didn’t get out of it unscathed either; he seemed to pick up a minor knock to his right knee while trying to steady himself.

The umpire didn’t let it slide. Jack Draper was handed a code violation and had to swap out his racket, which was clearly done for.

Fans weren’t too happy with what they saw.

Fans react to Jack Draper’s emotional outburst

Social media lit up with comments calling the move unsportsmanlike. Many were left unimpressed by his reaction, especially when he smashed his racket into a digital advertising board near the court. To make matters worse, it turned out to be an ad for Dunlop, his own racket sponsor, a brand he’s been associated with since the very beginning of his career. One fan criticized the moment and wrote, “breaking his sponsor’s ad with their own racket 😭😭 what an idiot.”

Earlier in the match, Draper had already received a warning after launching a ball high into the crowd in frustration. That came after he blew four break points in the third game of the second set. His frustration continued to build, and at one point, he even struck his racket against his ankle before carrying on with the match.

Another fan didn’t hold back and wrote, “he’s so unlikeable.” And this wasn’t an isolated case. Draper’s temper had flared up recently at the Italian Open too, during his match against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. Despite being set up and in control, the Brit let his frustration boil over after failing to convert break points in the second set. He smashed his racket on the court not once, but twice, leaving visible marks and earning a code violation for his actions.

A different user took a stronger stance, claiming, “No amount of propaganda will ever make me like this guy.”

To his credit, the 23-year-old acknowledged that his actions weren’t justified. Speaking after the match at Queen’s, he said, “I don’t condone that behavior, but at the same time, that’s where I was at today. I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete with every ball. But in the end, anger just spilled over a bit too much. When you’re not feeling great, when your energy is really low, you use everything you can to get yourself up.”

Someone else found humor in the incident, saying, “he fell over from smashing his racket; that’s so funny.”

The dramatic smash left visible damage to the digital display and took a toll on Draper, too. He appeared to injure his right knee while trying to steady himself and hobbled to his chair with blood on his leg. Another fan pointed out the physical aftermath and wrote, “yeah his knee was bleeding 😭.”

After changing to a fresh racket, the former US Open semifinalist tried to reset. But he couldn’t manage to break back as Lehecka calmly served out the match to seal his place in the final. Up next for the Czech? A showdown with 2023 Queen’s champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Jack Draper’s passion is clear, but his recent outbursts are raising eyebrows among fans and critics alike. Can he keep his emotions in check as Wimbledon looms?