‘Emotional’ Jack Draper stuns tennis idol Novak Djokovic in Indian Wells thriller - 'I’m incredibly proud of myself'
Updated 12/03/2026 at 08:57 GMT
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Jack Draper continued his Indian Wells Open title defence with an impressive and hard-fought win over tennis great Novak Djokovic. The 24-year-old Brit said he was "incredibly proud" of himself to overcome one of his tennis idols, doing so in a deciding tie-break. Draper faces Daniil Medvedev next in the quarter-finals in California, as he bids to retain his title.
Highlights: Draper makes winning start to Indian Wells defence
Video credit: SNTV
Jack Draper earned his first victory over Novak Djokovic in one of the best wins of his career at the Indian Wells Open.
The Brit kept his title defence on track as he beat the five-time champion 4-6 6-4 7-6(5). Draper is through to the quarter-finals, where he will face Daniil Medvedev.
It was a hard-fought battle for Draper, who needed a deciding tie-break to overcome the Serbian.
Djokovic took the opening set 6-4 as the pair wowed the California crowd with engrossing and exhausting rallies, one of which the 24-time major winner took after an incredible 26 shots.
Draper hit back by taking a second break point in the opening game of the second set, and although the Serb put him under pressure throughout, he managed to hold.
"I came out here tonight and I won that match through determination and trying to problem-solve and do my best and have a great attitude," Draper said.
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"I’m proud of the way I regrouped. I haven’t been playing on the Tour [in] a long time, so to put away guys who are top players, it’s something that comes with confidence.
"It was a tough moment for me, but again, something I’m getting used to since coming back and I regrouped really well. That’s something I can be really proud of."
Those lengthy rallies began to take a visible physical toll on the 38-year-old, and as Djokovic slowed down, Draper grew into the match and improved his play with each set.
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Djokovic gave Draper trouble as the latter attempted to close out the contest. As the Briton served for the match at 5-4 in the decider, Djokovic stole a 40-0 lead to delay Draper's victory.
Impressively, the 24-year-old held his nerve as Djokovic sent a long backhand down the court, which Draper followed with a backhand to clinch one of the biggest wins of his young career.
"For me to be on court again these last few weeks has been emotional for me, and I’m really grateful for it," Draper added.
"To come out here against Novak, for me the greatest tennis player there is, and someone I’ve been admiring and watching since I was a little kid. To do that, I’m just incredibly proud of myself."
It was Draper's first win over the veteran in just his second time of asking, and was their first encounter since Wimbledon in 2021.
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The Indian Wells Open is one of Draper's toughest tests so far, and is only his second ATP Tour event since the US Open last August.
Having ended his season prematurely due to an arm injury in September, he returned in the Davis Cup last month before a short showing in Dubai.
He then arrived in California with the added pressure of being defending champion and has so far lived up to the billing as 14th seed.
Medvedev, a two-time finalist at Indian Wells, is up next for Draper. The Russian got the better of Draper in their single meeting in Rome two years ago.
'I have a bitter feeling' - Djokovic
Djokovic confessed he felt "bitter" following his loss to Draper, but repeatedly praised the Brit as a "great player."
"[I have] a bitter feeling right now, losing a match like this," Djokovic explained in his post-match press conference. "But proud of myself for fighting and really giving it all on the court. That's for sure.
"That's the one thing that I'll take as a highlight. Just the fact of not giving up and trying.
"I lost to a great player, and it was really such an even match throughout the entire two-and-a-half hours. But I am just a bit disappointed."
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia shows his dejection against Jack Draper of Great Britain in their fourth round match of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Djokovic and Draper fought through several fatiguing rallies, and a 26-shot rally in particular cost the Serbian heavily, despite winning the point. Draper went on to break the 38-year-old’s serve two games later.
"It cost me a break after. It was great winning that point in that game, but I just ran completely out of gas and just started to feel a bit better towards the end of the third," Djokovic said.
"He played a sloppy game to close it out 5-4, and I got the crowd backing me and I felt the energy. It was, like, ‘Maybe I'm going to take this one’. It was so close, so close. Just unfortunate few mistakes from my side."
Djokovic also expressed how impressed he was by Draper's level as defending champion, competing in only his second tournament after a long-term injury to his arm.
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"I don't think there is any major difference in his level from what he has shown pre-injury," Djokovic said.
"He's been playing at a great level. I have watched him a little bit, had some highlights in Dubai, where he has played a few matches.
"And here, obviously defending champion, he really likes the conditions, suiting his game, and you could see that. I mean, he's playing really well.
"He is confident and he was always confident and physically very fit. Just overall a great player, great guy. I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament."
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