Back at the top... for the time being: Jack Draper dethroned as British number one for first time since June 2024 by Cameron Norrie

There have been significant ranking updates among the British tennis players after Indian Wells. Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie both reached the quarterfinal stage of Indian Wells in a very solid campaign from both players. However, with a huge number of points being taken off, Draper's grip on the British number one spot has been relinquished to his fellow countryman for the first time since June 2024.

It seemed like it would be a while for anyone to topple Draper after his title run last year. He climbed into the top 10 and ahead of Wimbledon had reached a career high of fourth in the world. Disaster struck at SW19 when a left arm injury cost him a lot of time on court. He skipped the North American hardcourt swing with the motivation to return for the US Open in the hope of defending the semi-final from 2024.

An incorrect diagnosis unveiled a lot more damage than first expected. A lot of false horizons would torture Draper as he took the rest of the year off, looking to finally get back to competing at the highest level. This would come after the Australian swing at the Davis Cup qualifiers. Draper helped his country make it past Norway but skipped events in Rotterdam and Qatar as he looked to get into the optimal condition to compete. He made his return to the ATP Tour in Dubai before traversing to California in the hope of defending the points from 2025.

Moving away from Draper, Norrie was quietly having a little remontada. He had previously suffered a huge ranking drop but has been able to climb back up into the top 32 in the world. A quarterfinal at Wimbledon ahead of reaching the Moselle Open final. He was now making his way to Indian Wells as a former champion, enjoying the tournament with some deep runs in the past. This would be the case again as he raced into the quarterfinals before being taken down by world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

Draper would also make it to this stage after picking up a mesmerising win over Novak Djokovic, but would exit the competition to eventual finalist Daniil Medvedev. This would have consequences for Draper in the rankings, seeing him drop 12 places to world number 26. While he falters, Norrie rises. The 30-year-old is back to being the British number one for the second time in his career, thanks to a five-place rise to world number 24.

"It's a nice thing, obviously, but I'm not really thinking about that too much," Norrie told BBC Sport. "It's unfortunate Jack's been out with injury but I just want to say that was extremely impressive - his second tournament back and he's already competing at that level."

He continued the high praise for his fellow countryman before stating his ambitions for them to be competing for the rest of the year. "I don't think there's too many players that can do that. I was out with injury for three or four months and it took me four or five tournaments to really start feeling OK. He's already competing with the best. I think we are going to be battling for the spot for the rest of the year."

It may not be long before Draper reclaims his crown. Following Indian Wells, the second Masters 1000 tournament of the year is set to take place in Florida in the form of the Miami Open. Both players have an under-par record at the tournament.

If Draper can make it a round further than Norrie, then he will go back to being the British number one. This may only be a short-term solution with the 23-year-old having enjoyed a very solid clay swing last year. He reached the final of the Madrid Open as well as a quarterfinal in the Rome Open. He will need to make up a lot of points if he is set to stay as a seed for the upcoming French Open. That could see him plummet yet again and offer Norrie a longer period as the top dog in British tennis.

After the grass swing, Draper is practically defending nothing for a few months. The North American hardcourt swing - involving the US Open, Asian swing, and European indoor swing is an opportunity for Draper to pick up a huge haul in points with no threat of losing any. While his rivals around him have the thought of an imminent drop on their minds, Draper is free to focus on the road ahead and not worry about glancing over his shoulder. This is all a very long way away for both Draper and Norrie, who will want to continue their progress at the Miami Open from March 18-29.