Jack Draper is close to a return to tennis, having been working hard behind the scenes with Andy Murray.
Draper has hired Murray for the grass-court swing, which is now well underway in the 2026 ATP Tour calendar.
The Scot, who has previously coached 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, arrived after the Englishman split with Jamie Delgado.
But Draper has yet to play a tournament since the appointment, with injury keeping him out of action since Barcelona in April.
Draper has plummeted the ATP rankings amid his absence, but Murray is very excited for the player’s imminent return at Eastbourne.
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As quoted by The Telegraph, Murray said ahead of the ATP 250 event: “Jack is supposed to be playing in Eastbourne next week.
“He’s been training and getting ready for that.
“He’s been on the court most days for the last few weeks.
“His tennis is bloody good.
“But he’s obviously had lots of issues the last year with the various injuries.
“And I feel like he’s starting to come out the other side of that now.
“The next step is getting on the match court and getting a consistent run of tournaments and weeks under him, and building trust again in his body.
“So yeah, I get to spend a decent amount of time with Jack.
“I also believe a lot in his tennis.
“In the sessions I’ve done with him, I’ve been more impressed probably than what I expected.
“And I thought he was bloody good before I started helping him.
“He’s a quick learner.
“He’s got very few holes in his game.
“He’s a more complete player than probably what I expected as well.”
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It’s certainly a positive update on Draper, of which there have not been many in recent times.
The former British number one is now their third-highest-ranked player, while he has dropped out of the ATP top 100.
It’s quite the decline from the former world number four, but very much understandable given that his injury struggles have limited him to just nine matches in 2026.
But belief can be taken from his progress with Murray, who will hopefully help Draper get back to his best as soon as possible.
Of course, British tennis fans will be desperate for the home favorite to find his feet just in time for Wimbledon.
The Grand Slam may just come too soon for Draper as he continues to build up his fitness, but he should have plenty of motivation to succeed in front of his own fans, just as Murray did.
He can hardly look for better inspiration on the surface, with Murray winning Wimbledon twice and claiming Olympic gold at London 2012.
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