Jack Draper was penalised for hindrance during his quarterfinal defeat to Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells.
During a crucial stage of the match, Draper moved his arms, surprised that Medvedev’s return landed in.
Seven shots later, Medvedev lost the point and called a hindrance.
Who will have more Grand Slam titles when both are retired?
The umpire agreed with Medvedev, handing the Russian the point, much to the annoyance of the defending champion.
Draper was certainly hard done by, but deserves credit for the way he accepted the decision.
Jack Draper dealt with hindrance controversy brilliantly
While understandably frustrated with the decision, Draper kept calm and tried to explain his point of view to the umpire, Aurelie Tourte.
“In the rulebook, if he misses the next ball, then I understand, but we played two more shots,” said Draper.
“This is correct, but now that we have video review, he is allowed to request it when the point is over,” Tourte replied.
“Yeah, I get it if he misses the next ball, but he didn’t miss the next ball…” added Draper.
“You lost the point because he asked for the video review, and on the video review, we see that you made something different than usual,” said Tourte.
“I think you’ve got that wrong,” Draper said.
Draper didn’t raise his voice, throw his arms around, or intimidate the umpire; instead, he remained level-headed throughout.
And when the decision went against him, he accepted the umpire’s ruling, regardless of how costly it was.
Rather than moving level at 15-15 on his serve at 5-5 in the second set, Draper fell to 0-30 and was broken shortly after.
Medvedev held serve to secure his place in the semifinals.
Again, Draper proved his class when he spoke to Medvedev at the net.
“If you’re mad with me, I’m sorry,” said Medvedev.
“No, I’m not,” Draper replied.
“But I don’t think it distracted you enough.
“It’s a fair call, you won the match fair and square, but I don’t think it distracted you.”
Draper kept his composure, leaving the court on good terms with Medvedev.
Had it been another player, Medvedev, perhaps, on the receiving end of such a decision, you could imagine their reactions may have been a bit more fiery.
While the Briton will be disappointed with both the decision and the result, he can keep his head held high, knowing he acted properly in a difficult situation.
What’s next for Jack Draper after Indian Wells disappointment?
Draper will drop out of the world’s top 20 when the next set of rankings are released.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 22 | Jiri Lehecka | Czechia | 1,850 |
| 23 | Tommy Paul | USA | 1,765 |
| 24 | Cameron Norrie | Great Britain | 1,753 |
| 25 | Valentin Vacherot | Monaco | 1,741 |
| 26 | Jack Draper | Great Britain | 1,710 |
| 27 | Arthur Rinderknech | France | 1,657 |
| 28 | Holger Rune | Denmark | 1,640 |
| 29 | Tallon Griekspoor | Netherlands | 1,585 |
| 30 | Brandon Nakashima | USA | 1,485 |
| 31 | Arthur Fils | France | 1,440 |
The former world number four will be ranked 26th in the world.
But the good news for Draper is that he can make a charge back up the rankings next week in Miami.
After winning Indian Wells in 2025, he lost his opening match at the Miami Open.
Therefore, he has just 10 points to defend in Florida.
If he were to win the title in Miami, he could return to the world’s top 15.
That might not be the most likely outcome, but still, a deep run for Draper, and he won’t be sat outside the top 20 for long.
Jack Draper’s record at the Miami Open
- 2021 Miami Open – Lost in 1R to Mikhail Kukushkin
- 2022 Miami Open – Lost in 2R to Cameron Norrie
- 2024 Miami Open – Lost in 2R to Nicolas Jarry
- 2025 Miami Open – Lost in 2R to Jakub Mensik
Only time will tell how well Draper will perform in Miami…
The 2026 Miami Open main draw begins on Tuesday, March 17.
