INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Defending champion Jack Draper rallied from a set down and beat five-time champ Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) Wednesday night in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
The 24-year-old Draper, who is coming back after missing eight months because of an arm injury, advanced to the quarterfinal round and will face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16 to advance.
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.”
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.
The 38-year-old Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, won at Indian Wells in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Djokovic nearly won an 11th Australian Open title earlier this year, but he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
“It was a crazy match,” Draper told a press conference in California. “I think both of us gave it our all.
“Just overwhelmed to obviously beat Novak, someone I have watched and admired and idolised since I was a kid. Just very grateful to be in this situation and go again tomorrow.”
Draper will play in-form 11th seed Medvedev on Thursday evening, and he said: “I’m really proud of where I’m at with my game.
“I was saying to my coach I still think my level could be a lot better, to be honest. Not so much with the tennis but more my mentality on the court.
“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.
“And, even though today is a big win, it’s also a small win in my recovery and coming back to playing and being the type of player I want to become.”
Djokovic praised Draper’s performance, saying: “He’s playing really well. He’s 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.”
PA contributed to this report.
