2 min readMar 12, 2026 05:52 PM IST
Novak Djokovic let slip a one-set advantage against defending champion Jack Draper to be eliminated from the BNP Paribas Open in the fourth round. 24-year-old Draper is on a comeback trail after spending eight months out of the sport fixing an arm injury.
Djokovic is a five-time winner of the event—he won titles at Indian Wells in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016—and looked set to march on to the next round when he claimed the first set 6-4. But Draper was in no mood to roll over and rallied to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) late on Wednesday night.
“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 was quoted as saying in his on-court interview by ATP website.
“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.”
Draper advanced to the quarterfinals where he will face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16 to move on.
Djokovic, seeded third, led 6-5 in the third set before Draper rallied and forced a tiebreaker.
“I still don’t feel like I’m playing anywhere near the way I want to play,” Draper said. “I came out here and I won that match through determination.”
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In addition to his win at Indian Wells last year, the 14th-seeded Draper won the Stuttgart Open and the Vienna Open, both in 2024.
Djokovic nearly won an 11th Australian Open title earlier this year, but lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
(With inputs from AP)
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