Jack Draper was docked a point for hindrance during his Indian Wells quarterfinal defeat to Daniil Medvedev.
The Briton moved his arms around, surprised that Medvedev landed the ball on the baseline, but eventually won the point several shots later.
However, the umpire punished Draper for hindrance, handing the point to Medvedev.
The decision baffled many, including WTA star Jessica Pegula.
Jessica Pegula says the new challenge rule is ‘kind of stupid’ after Indian Wells incident
During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast‘, Pegula shared her thoughts.
“It’s a new rule that has changed this year,” she said.
“I think it’s kind of stupid to be able to go back and challenge something.
“I like it for double bounces. I think that is okay because obviously if it was a double bounce and you won the point, that’s fair.
“But for hindrance, it is a little weird that you can literally lose the point five or six shots later and go back.
“I don’t blame Daniil [Medvedev], I just think it’s a bad rule. I don’t think he meant to cheat the system, really.
“If you go back, the conversation was really weird.
“She was like, ‘Do you want to challenge?’ And he was like I guess. Then she made the decision. I just don’t think it was a great call.”
Pegula’s co-host, Madison Keys, was also keen to weigh in.
“I don’t have an issue with the rule because now it’s electronic line calling, to get yourself to stop a point, nobody does it anymore,” said Keys.
“So I do like that you can do the video review after, I think that the chair made a bad call personally.
“I thought Jack [Draper] made a really good point that if it was a hindrance, then I think he would have understood if he had missed the ball after Jack made the gesture, but he hit three more balls, so clearly it didn’t hinder him.”
Who will have more Grand Slam titles when both are retired?
Draper tried to argue his case, but did so unsuccessfully.
He lost the point, the set, and the match, as he failed to defend his Indian Wells title.
Looking to move past the incident, Draper will now turn his attention to the Miami Open.
Can Jack Draper win his second Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open?
Losing to Medvedev in the Indian Wells quarterfinals, Draper dropped to 26th in the ATP rankings.
Looking to bounce back, the 24-year-old will begin his Miami Open campaign later this week.
Jack Draper’s Miami Open draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 1R (BYE) | – | – |
| 2R | Nuno Borges (50) | – |
| 3R | Taylor Fritz (7) | [6] Taylor Fritz |
| 4R | Casper Ruud (12) | [11] Casper Ruud, [21] Jiri Lehecka |
| QF | Carlos Alcaraz (1) | [1] Carlos Alcaraz, [14] Karen Khachanov, [17] Luciano Darderi, [32] Sebastian Korda |
| SF | Lorenzo Musetti (5) | [4] Lorenzo Musetti, [5] Alex de Minaur, [10] Alexander Bublik, [13] Flavio Cobolli, [22] Tommy Paul, [24] Valentin Vacherot, [28] Arthur Fils, [29] Tomas Martin Etcheverry |
| F | Jannik Sinner (2) | [2] Jannik Sinner, [3] Alexander Zverev, [7] Felix Auger-Aliassime, [8] Ben Shelton, [9] Daniil Medvedev, [12] Jakub Mensik, [15] Andrey Rublev, [16] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, [18] Francisco Cerundolo, [19] Frances Tiafoe, [20] Learner Tien, [23] Cameron Norrie, [26] Arthur Rinderknech, [27] Brandon Nakashima, [30] Corentin Moutet, [31] Ugo Humbert |
Draper could face American star Taylor Fritz in the third round.
Fritz was a losing semifinalist last year, and like Draper, has yet to find his best tennis in 2026.
If they were to meet with a place in the last 16 up for grabs, you certainly wouldn’t want to miss it!
On a hard court, you might fancy Draper to take down Casper Ruud in the fourth round, but the same can’t be said for his projected quarterfinal matchup.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz could await him.
The Spaniard is a former champion in Miami, and will be determined to return to winning ways after losing his first match of the season at Indian Wells last time out.
Draper won’t want to concern himself with hypothetical quarterfinals just yet, though, as he first prepares for his opening match.
The former world number four will play either Nuno Borges or Reilly Opelka in the second round later this week.
