Quarrelful quarter at Indian Wells » Medvedev is in the semifinals after a controversial moment: he apologized at the net
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Friday, March 13, 2026, 08:35 / Updated Friday, March 13, 2026 08:35
Daniil Medvedev (30 years old, #11 ATP) qualified for the Indian Wells semifinals after beating Jack Draper (24 years old, #14) in two sets, 6-1, 7-5. The end of the game was shrouded in scandal.
Medvedev had won the first set without the right to appeal, 6-1. In the second set it was 5-5 and Draper was serving to take the lead. At 0:15, after a rally of several shots, Medvedev hit the net. Immediately, he began gesticulating in the direction of the chair umpire, claiming a gesture Draper had made during the rally.
Between points, after a left forehand, Draper opened his arms wide for a split second. The Russian appeared disturbed by the gesture, accusing him of being distracted, although between that moment and the shot he misfired, hitting the net, he had sent the ball into the opponent's court twice.
Draper's gesture was complained to the referee
The referee adjudged and called obstruction, so Draper's field point went to the Russian.
Controversial moment in Draper – Medvedev
Draper protested to the chair umpire:
“There was no way it was enough to distract him. No way! Players do that all the time. There's no way he could have been distracted. I played two more innings after that. If he missed the next shot, I'd understand. But I played two more innings!”
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“You did something different than what you usually do, correct? You didn't make a sound, that's right, but if he asked for that, it means he saw something different. You did something different,” the referee countered.
White sports fans sided with Draper. Some comments on the Indian Wells post: “Terrible decision”, “Daniil was not fair play, and that decision influenced the outcome of the match”, “Terrible decision, especially since [Medvedev] he played two more balls after that”.
That moment put Draper on the wrong foot. Medvedev broke, then closed out the game on his own serve. The Brit won just two more points until the end.
Medvedev apologized at the net
At the meeting with Medvedev at the net, the two talked about the episode.
“If you're mad at me, I'm sorry. I would understand,” Medvedev said.
“No, I'm not at all, but I don't think you were distracted. That's what I was saying,” Draper countered.
In the interview, Medvedev said:
“The first set was unreal. I couldn't miss. I played at an amazing level. In the second, he tried everything he could and had a chance. I had to be better. But overall I'm happy with the game I showed and I'm looking forward to what's to come.”
In the semi-finals, he will face world leader Carlos Alcaraz. The other semi-final is Alexander Zverev – Jannik Sinner.
