Looking to defend his title, Jack Draper has reached the fourth round of Indian Wells.
The British number one defeated Roberto Bautista Agut and Francisco Cerundolo to reach the fourth round, where he will play Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.
His third-round win over Cerundolo was particularly impressive, as Draper used the ‘serve and volley’ technique to great effect.
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During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Liam Broady explained how Draper may already be thinking about playing Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Liam Broady believes Jack Draper is ‘serve and volleying’ more to beat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
The Briton thinks Draper is using the ‘serve and volley’ tactic more with future match-ups against Alcaraz and Sinner in mind.
“Seeing that it makes me wonder if he’s already thinking about playing against [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner,” said Broady.
“We have seen them stand three or four feet behind the baseline, and the serve and volley is a good way to negate that.
“I really think him and Jamie [Delgado] have a really good plan for his game moving forward, and he’s not playing right now to beat Francisco Cerundolo.
“Of course, he needed to because he was 0-2 against him.
Jack Draper and Francisco Cerundolo’s head-to-head record (1-2)
- 2026 Indian Wells 3R – Jack Draper defeated Francisco Cerundolo, 6-1, 7-5
- 2024 Davis Cup GS – Francisco Cerundolo defeated Jack Draper, 7-6, 7-5
- 2023 Lyon Open QF – Francisco Cerundolo defeated Jack Draper, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
“But in his mind, he is competing with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner.”
Draper seemed to back up Broady’s point when he shared his thoughts on the world’s top two during an interview with ‘Tennis Channel‘.
“I think the game is constantly evolving. Guys are having less and less weaknesses,” he said.
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“We are starting to see with the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner, they are playing in a way where you have to take it to them, and you have to go out there and win.
“They are not just going to go out and give it to you.
“To do that you have to be more aggressive.”
Draper has been working on adding ‘aggression’ to his game during his time on the sidelines.
“In my time out injured, I worked a lot on my net game and coming forward,” he said.
“I think that’s where the game is going.
“I think you have to be an all-around player from the back, but also have the ability to come forward and be good at the net.
“That is something I am working on a lot.”
The former world number four is training hard to keep up with the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner, but how has he fared against the dominant duo so far?
Through six career meetings, Draper is 2-4 against Alcaraz.
Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Italian Open – QF | Carlos Alcaraz | Jack Draper | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2025 Indian Wells – SF | Jack Draper | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 |
| 2025 Australian Open – 4R | Carlos Alcaraz | Jack Draper | 7-5, 6-1 (RET) |
| 2024 Queen’s – 2R | Jack Draper | Carlos Alcaraz | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – 4R | Carlos Alcaraz | Jack Draper | 6-2, 2-0 (RET) |
| 2022 Swiss Indoors – 1R | Carlos Alcaraz | Jack Draper | 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
After losing to Alcaraz in Basel (2022) and Indian Wells (2023), Draper won on home soil at Queen’s, a year later.
Then, Alcaraz beat Draper in Melbourne, before the Briton picked up the win at Indian Wells in 2025.
It was Alcaraz who won their most recent encounter, though, at the Italian Open.
Draper has only played Sinner twice on the ATP Tour.
Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 US Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Jack Draper | 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2021 Queen’s – 1R | Jack Draper | Jannik Sinner | 7-6, 7-6 |
After winning their first career meeting at Queen’s five years ago, Draper lost to Sinner in the semifinals of the 2024 US Open.
Draper has the game plan to beat Alcaraz and Sinner, but when could he play them at Indian Wells?
When could Jack Draper play Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells?
Draper won’t meet Alcaraz or Sinner until the semifinals.
Jack Draper’s Indian Wells draw (Projected)
- 1R (BYE)
- 2R – Defeated Roberto Bautista Agut
- 3R – Defeated Francisco Cerundolo
- 4R – Novak Djokovic
- QF – Daniil Medvedev
- SF – Carlos Alcaraz
- F – Jannik Sinner
He’ll first need to get past Djokovic in the fourth round and either Daniil Medvedev or Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals.
Only then, could he meet Alcaraz in the semifinals.
Should he repeat his semifinal victory from last year, he may advance to take on Sinner in the final.
The Briton won’t want to worry himself with the semifinals or finals just yet, though, as he first focuses on the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Draper will play Djokovic in the Indian Wells fourth round on Wednesday, March 11.
