Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper are set to reignite their rivalry at Indian Wells after setting up a semi-final clash.
Alcaraz is bidding for more Indian Wells history this year, as he looks to win his third consecutive title in the Californian desert.
Although he has not reached that milestone yet, Alcaraz has already achieved a record after continuing his impressive run at the Masters 1000 tournament.
The next obstacle in Alcaraz’s way is British number one Draper, who the Spaniard has made a big prediction about.
Carlos Alcaraz makes big prediction about Jack Draper
This will be the fifth meeting between Alcaraz and Draper, with their most recent match coming at the Australian Open.
However, this encounter was overshadowed by Draper having to retire after the second set due to injury.
Draper does have one victory over Alcaraz that came on the grass of Queen’s last year.
When asked about this previous match, Alcaraz praised Draper and backed him to achieve big things in the near future.
“Well, I think he has a lot of rhythm, a lot of pace, great shots,” Alcaraz said about Draper in his Indian Wells quarter-final press conference. “I think his style of play suits pretty well to these conditions well. I think his forehand with topspin bounce a lot, and big serve.
“I mean, the times that I have played against him, I think two of them he got injured, and the last one recently in Australia. So I’m just excited about playing him again.
“It seems he’s in really good shape right now. I think he’s ambitious, and he always go for it. So that’s makes him a really tough opponent. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna be one of the toughest on the tour in the future or in the next year.
“Just really happy to share these kind of moments with him. I also think it’s going to be a really good match to watch and to play.”
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2022 | Swiss Indoors | Alcaraz beat Draper, 3-6 6-2 7-5 |
| 2023 | Indian Wells | Alcaraz beat Draper, 6-2 2-0 (Draper retired) |
| 2024 | Queen’s Club | Draper beat Alcaraz, 7-6(3) 6-3 |
| 2025 | Australian Open | Alcaraz beat Draper, 7-5 6-1 (Draper retired) |
Carlos Alcaraz explains his relationship with Jack Draper
Prior to the 2025 season getting underway, Draper was set to practise with Alcaraz at Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Academy in Alicante.
However, Draper had to pull out of this due to injury and also withdrew from all pre-Australian Open tournaments.
When speaking about how the idea to train with Draper in the pre-season came about, Alcaraz also detailed his relationship with the Brit.
“Well, honestly, few players had talked to Juan Carlos in the pre-season just to go to the academy or the place where we were practicing, and Jack was one of them,” explained Alcaraz. “I just really happy that a lot of players, you know, talk to Juan Carlos to be able to go to Spain to practice with me.
“I think it’s a good way to have a good pre-season to get ready for the season. Yeah, it was the same, but Jack couldn’t make it at the end because of the injury. I was looking forward to practice with him for a week, week and a half.
“But yeah, I mean, he’s a really nice guy off the court, as well, which makes it even easier to share good moments or to share a week of practicing, because the level he has, he’s a really professional player.
“You know, off the court he always do the right things, so I think he is one of those players who is lovely to practice with.”
Alcaraz and Draper will play their Indian Wells semi-final on Saturday March 15.
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