Jack Draper believes there is room for improvement in his game after producing a gutsy three-set win over Novak Djokovic at the BNP Paribas Open.
Draper, who is the defending champion in Indian Wells, recovered from a set down to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a lengthy encounter that lasted more than two-and-a-half hours. The British No.1 failed to serve the match out when leading 5-4 in the deciding set but weathered the storm to prevail in the tiebreaker, where he converted his first match point. It is the third time he has beaten a top-three player on the Tour, with his first two wins being over Carlos Alcaraz in 2024 and 2025.
“It was a crazy match,” said Draper, who hit 39 winners against 35 unforced errors.
“I think both of us gave it our all. I think from my side, I started off a bit passive and then, as the match went on, I was able to be more aggressive. Take control of the points on my terms.
“I’m just overwhelmed to beat Novak, someone I have watched and admired and idolized since I was a kid.”
The showdown against Djokovic was only the fifth match Draper has played on the ATP Tour since returning to action following a six-month injury hiatus. During the roller-coaster clash, he encountered a late blip when he went down 0-40 when serving for the match at 5-4 before getting broken.
“I think I will blame a little bit there, the time I’ve had out of the game on that one,” he commented.
“It’s one thing serving out a match against a top player, but when it’s Novak, it’s even more difficult. Someone I have been watching since I was a kid.
“I’m proud of the way I was able to regroup. I played a good game at 6-5 on my serve and played a good tiebreak, as well. So that’s something I can be proud of, and I’ll obviously take the experience of what happened at 5-4 and use that for what’s to come.”
This lapse is something the 24-year-old admits he needs to work on with his team. He has been coached by Jamie Delgado since October, who is the former mentor of Andy Murray.
“I think my level could be a lot better, to be honest. Not so much with the tennis but more with my mentality on the court.” He explains.
“It’s tough when you haven’t been on the match court for a while, especially against top, top players in the world again. They make you feel uncomfortable. I’m still learning about my game, identity on the match court again.”
Draper has an extra incentive to perform well in Indian Wells with the position of being his country’s highest-ranked player on the line. To retain the position, he must perform a round better than Cameron Norrie, who is also through to the quarter-finals in Indian Wells and will next play Alcaraz. In the live rankings, Draper is currently two places behind Norrie in 26th place.
In the last eight, Draper will face Daniil Medvedev, who has dropped only 16 games in his last three matches played. Medvedev is a two-time finalist in Indian Wells and reached the semi-finals last year.
