Andy Murray Joins Jack Draper's Coaching Setup for Grass-Court Season

Andy Murray Steps Into Coaching Role With Jack Draper

British tennis star Jack Draper has enlisted the support of three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as part of his coaching team for the grass-court season. The announcement follows Draper's decision to part ways with his former head coach Jamie Delgado, who had been working with the young Brit since October last year.

Murray, 38 and a former world number one, had been absent from the professional tour since his six-month coaching collaboration with Novak Djokovic concluded in 2024. He will now work alongside Draper and the Lawn Tennis Association's existing support staff through the summer grass-court swing, which includes Wimbledon starting June 29.

Draper Speaks Out on the Transition

Draper, who climbed to a career-best ranking of fourth in the world last year, expressed genuine appreciation for the work Delgado had put in during their brief time together.

"I am very grateful for everything Jamie Delgado has done for me over these past six months. He is a world-class coach and a great man," Draper said in a statement.

"In the interim, I will continue to be supported by the excellent team at the LTA, with the addition of Andy Murray, who will be supporting me throughout the grass-court season."

Despite his credentials, Delgado's time working directly with Draper was severely limited. The pair only managed to collaborate at four tournaments this season due to a string of injury setbacks that have plagued the 24-year-old.

Injury Struggles Have Derailed Draper's Season

Draper has endured a difficult stretch on the ATP Tour, largely sidelined by physical problems that have caused significant disruption to his campaign. After reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 US Open, he went nearly six months without competitive tennis due to a bruised humerus bone in his serving arm.

He made a tentative return during Great Britain's Davis Cup tie against Norway before rejoining the ATP Tour in Dubai in late February. However, his comeback has been fragile — he has completed just eight tour matches since returning and was forced to withdraw from his clay-court schedule after suffering a knee tendon injury during a match in Barcelona.

As a result, Draper will miss this year's French Open and has seen his world ranking tumble, with projections placing him outside the top 75 following the Italian Open.

A Return to the Grass — and a Plan for Wimbledon

Draper is targeting a return to competitive action during the grass-court swing following Roland Garros. A potential comeback at the Stuttgart ATP tournament in early June — where he claimed his first ATP title back in 2024 — is currently under consideration, with the Queen's Club Championships in London scheduled the following week.

The pinnacle of the grass season, of course, remains Wimbledon, where Draper will be eager to make a significant impression in front of a home crowd.

Murray and Draper: A Natural Partnership

While the timing may come as a surprise to some observers, the working relationship between Murray and Draper has long felt like an inevitable development. Draper has frequently spoken of Murray as a "big brother" figure throughout his career, regularly turning to the Scot for advice and guidance off the court.

Their close personal bond was memorably captured in a viral video from a 2023 Davis Cup celebration, which showed a jubilant Draper singing alongside Murray on their journey home — with Murray playing the role of the long-suffering older sibling to comic effect.

That chemistry and mutual respect form a natural foundation for a professional coaching arrangement, even if it arrived sooner than many anticipated.

Why Murray Said Yes

Only weeks ago, Murray had publicly indicated he was not ready to return to coaching. His priorities included spending quality time with his family, developing his business portfolio, and working on his golf game — all pursuits he had embraced since stepping back from the sport.

However, the chance to help guide Draper through arguably the most important stretch of the grass-court calendar — without requiring extensive international travel from his home in Surrey — proved difficult to resist.

Murray's value to Draper extends far beyond tactical knowledge. Nobody in British tennis understands the weight of expectation that descends on a homegrown player at Wimbledon quite like Murray does. He also carries hard-won wisdom about navigating serious physical setbacks as a young player and building the resilience needed to sustain a career at the highest level.

For Draper, still piecing together his fitness and form, having that insight and experience in his corner this summer could prove invaluable.