It didn’t take long for Andy Murray to take up a new role in tennis after announcing his retirement in August 2024. He entered his maiden coaching partnership with none other than Novak Djokovic in November of that year. While there were expectations around him at first, the six-month coaching proved quite disappointing.

Djokovic failed to win a single title under Murray’s guidance, and the two parted ways in May 2025. Despite the underwhelming stint, the Brit had received coaching offers from other players. However, he turned them down for quite a simple reason.

“After I stopped working with Novak (Djokovic), I had several opportunities to return to coaching,” he told the BBC. “I had no desire to be constantly on the move and away from my family. It’s not that I didn’t like coaching, but I just didn’t enjoy it any more than staying home with my family.”

But things changed when Jack Draper approached Murray before the ongoing grass swing. The former World No. 4 is currently among the best British tennis talents, and Murray was quite excited to coach him. He took up the opportunity and replaced Jamie Delgado on the team in May.

“When Jack (Draper) approached me, I thought about it, talked to my wife, and told Jack that I would be happy to help him. I think Jack is a brilliant player. There is no doubt that when he returns to the court, he will perform well and win matches at the highest level. But for now, the objective is to help him find consistency in his performances,” he added.

Turns out Murray believes in Draper’s ability despite his injury struggles and is optimistic he can achieve success at the highest level. But the 24-year-old will have to work extremely hard to reach that level again.

Draper’s fall from the top 10 to No. 114 in 2026 marks a drastic reversal—injuries are the culprit. For starters, his season was delayed as he was suffering from an injury in his left arm that he had sustained at the U.S. Open last year.

The setback saw Draper remain out of action for almost six months. The Brit didn’t look his best even when he made his return to the court in February with the Dubai Championships. To add to his troubles, he encountered another fitness issue just two months later at the Barcelona Open.

Draper sustained an injury to his right knee during his clash against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. This saw him withdraw from the match at 3-6, 6-3, 4-1, and the setback would eventually rule him out of the remainder of the clay-court season. All these withdrawals have seen Draper move down to No. 114 in the rankings.

He is now finally set to make his return two months later at the Eastbourne Open. This tournament will be quite important for him as it will be his final prep before Wimbledon. As he prepares to make his long return, Draper shared his views on his newly formed partnership with Murray.

Jack Draper opens up on his equation with Andy Murray ahead of Wimbledon

“Andy is amazing, to be honest,” he said in an interview released by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). “I have a great relationship with him off the court, but on the court, there are very few people who know more than Andy, and he has been an amazing support to me. Especially in this moment right now, that he believes in me, in my tennis, and backing me to do well means the world to me.”

Though Draper has yet to play a match under Murray’s guidance, he already appears to be quite excited to have the former World No. 1 as his coach. He will be in action on Monday against Brandon Nakashima in the first round of the Eastbourne Open.

Draper currently holds a 2-1 lead in the H2H record, and both of his wins have come on grass. While the Brit will certainly have the home crowd behind him, Nakashima will be aiming to spoil his comeback and send him packing in the opening round itself.