Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when fourth-round action at the BNP Paribas Open wraps up on Wednesday evening.
They have not gone head-to-head since 2021, when Draper — at only 19 years old — threw the home crowd at Wimbledon into a frenzy by taking the first set of their opening-round match. Unsurprisingly, Djokovic would go on to roll 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 — and he would go on to lift the trophy two weeks later.
Fast forward five years and Draper has lived up to the hype. He is now a Masters 1000 champion (Indian Wells 12 months ago), a major semifinalist (2024 U.S. Open), and a former No. 4 player in the world. The lefty currently registers at 14th in the rankings only because of recurring injury problems — but his comeback this season is off to a solid start. He is 4-1 in five matches during the 2026 campaign and he was especially impressive in a 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.
Djokovic captured the title in Tennis Paradise a whopping five times between 2008 and 2016, but this event has been rough for him over the past decade. The 24-time slam winner was 2-5 in his last seven Indian Wells matches heading into this appearance and he has not even reached the QFs since he last lifted the trophy in 2016. Djokovic managed to win his first two matches this fortnight, but he dropped a set to both Kamil Majchrzak and Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Motivation is generally low for Djokovic at this point in time at any event outside of the slams. Moreover, he is also dealing with an apparent arm issue. This is a great opportunity for Draper to continue his title defense with an upset of the 38-year-old Serb.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.