Jack Draper’s Indian Wells title defence ended in the quarter-finals after a controversial hindrance call gave Daniil Medvedev a key point in the second set.
Draper, world number 14, lost 6-1 7-5 to the former world number one. The incident occurred at 5-5 0-15, when Draper briefly stretched his arms during a rally to signal that he believed Medvedev’s forehand had gone long. The rally continued for seven shots before Medvedev hit a backhand into the net.
Medvedev requested a video review, and umpire Aurelie Tourte ruled Draper guilty of hindrance, stating he “did something different in the rally than you would normally do.” The point was awarded to Medvedev, sparking boos from the crowd.
Draper responded calmly: “Daniil was the stronger player fair and square. I don’t think I did enough to hinder him. It’s harsh, but the rules were applied correctly.”
Medvedev admitted he did not feel “good” about the call but denied cheating: “Was I distracted a bit? Yes. Enough to win the point? I don’t know. I let the referee decide.”
Despite the controversy, Medvedev dominated the match. Draper, competing in his second ATP event since last August’s US Open, struggled physically and mentally in the final stages. He will drop from 14 to 26 in the world rankings and lose the British number one spot to Cameron Norrie.
Draper acknowledged the toll of his previous third-set tie-break victory over Novak Djokovic, saying: “After everything I’ve been through in the past nine months, reaching the quarter-finals was enough. Today I ran out of steam against one of the best players in the world.”
Hindrance Rules Explained
Since February 2025, players can request video reviews at Masters 1,000 events for issues like hindrances, scoring errors, and foul shots.
The ATP rulebook states that any distraction caused by a player, intentional or not, results in loss of the point. Umpires must ensure rulings do not give players a second chance unfairly. A deliberate hindrance occurs when a player intentionally causes a distraction.
A similar call was made against Aryna Sabalenka during her Australian Open semi-final in January after a change in her grunt distracted her opponent.
