Jack Draper edges Novak Djokovic, gets Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells quarterfinals

Where to Watch

Streaming Link: Tennis Channel app

Start Time: Not before 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 11

Djokovic vs. Draper: Recap

“I would be surprised if it’s a one-sided match,” Medvedev said when he was asked about Wednesday night’s fourth-round encounter between Draper and Novak Djokovic. “I think it’s going to be very, very physical battle where you don’t know who’s gonna win.”

Medvedev couldn’t have called it any more perfectly. As he predicted, Draper vs. Djokovic wasn’t one-sided. It was very, very physical. And even at 5-5 in the third-set tiebreaker, after two and a half hours, we had no idea who was going to win. If anything, the match likely exceeded Medvedev’s expectations. It may have been the best of the year so far.

It was also an example of the power of keeping your expectations low. Beforehand, Draper, who is returning from a long injury layoff, said he was just happy to be able to compete again, and whatever else happened was a bonus. So it wasn’t surprising that he started a little tentatively against the man he calls the “best tennis player there is.”

By the start of the second set, though, the defending champ was feeling at home again in front of the buzzing night crowd. From that point on, he was the one running down every ball in sight. He was the one firing off forehand missiles, dipping backhand returns, and shoestring passes that Djokovic could only applaud. He was the one who had the Serb doubled over and gasping for breath. In the final-set tiebreaker, a moment where Djokovic usually excels, it was Draper who was braver, especially from the backhand side, and who was rewarded for it.

“I got the crowd backing me, and I felt the energy,” said Djokovic, who nearly rose from the grave once again late in the third. “It was, like, ‘Maybe I’m gonna take this one.’ It was so close, so close. I mean, just unfortunate few mistakes from my side. Tiebreak, 4-3 up. 5-all, as well. That’s tennis.”

Medvedev vs. Draper: Preview and Prediction

Now, unfortunately for Draper, he has to go out and do it all over again less than 24 hours later.

If anyone enjoyed every moment of Draper-Djokovic, it was Medvedev. With each lung-busting rally, his smile may have grown a little wider. He played earlier in the day, and beat Alex Michelsen, 6-2, 6-4, in routine fashion. In fact, all three of Medvedev’s wins this week have been routine. He has continued his title-winning form from Dubai and run his win streak to eight.

Medvedev beat Draper in their only meeting, 7-5, 6-4, in Rome two years ago. The Brit’s lefty serve spins into the Russian’s favored backhand side, and Medvedev can keep the ball low and flat with his two-hander, which may trouble the 6’4 Draper.

It would be nice to think that Draper will recover quickly enough to give us another evening epic. Maybe, it he keeps his expectations low the way he did against Djokovic, he can play freely enough to do it again. But I’ll take Medvedev to win it. Winner: Medvedev

All eight singles quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open take place Thursday, March 11—and they're all streaming on the Tennis Channel app:

👉 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Victoria Mboko

👉 Jannik Sinner vs. Learner Tien

👉 Alexander Zverev vs. Arthur Fils

👉 Linda Noskova vs. Talia Gibson

👉 Iga Swiatek vs. Elina Svitolina

👉 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Cam Norrie

👉 Elena Rybakina vs. Jessica Pegula

👉 Daniil Medvedev vs. Jack Draper