There are no rest days for players in the top draw of the BNP Paribas Open between the fourth round and the quarterfinals.
That’s the worst possible moment for Jack Draper.
So far, everyone has been playing every day at Indian Wells. After his thrilling two-hour and 35-minute match against Novak Djokovic on Wednesday night, however, Draper will not get any rest before facing Daniil Medvedev on Thursday evening.
A quick turnaround on the heels of a tough battle in which the 14th-ranked Brit outlasted the 38-year-old Serb 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). And it’s a tough test, especially for a player who has been injured a lot and missed the end of last season and the start of this season with an arm injury.
As if that wasn’t enough, Medvedev is probably the one last time A guy anyone in Draper’s situation would like to deal with. After all, there’s no one better than the 29-year-old Russian when he returns to work a million yards behind the baseline and gets ball after ball. It’s a nightmare for many players – and especially those who may be underpowered.
Moreover, Medvedev is in very good shape now. The former world No. 1 is 16-3 in 2026 with two titles (Brisbane and Dubai) and Indian Wells wins over Alejandro Tabilo, Sebastian Baez, and Alex Michelsen. All three games were complete strikes.
Count on a more rested Medvedev to improve to 2-0 in the head-to-head series against the defending Indian Wells champion.
Pick: Medvedev at 2
