Comebacks are no easy feat, but British No. 1 Jack Draper made a winning start on his return to Eastbourne on Monday. A spate of injuries confined him to the sidelines for two months. Ahead of his grass-court return, the former World No. 4 revisited his coaching staff, bringing tennis legend Sir Andy Murray into the fold. The three-time Grand Slam winner’s legacy is littered with comebacks from injury, and his addition to an all-British team only emboldened Draper’s desire to return. Yet amid victory celebrations, Draper isn’t keen on addressing coach Murray with his conferred honors.

“I haven’t called him ‘Sir’ yet. That’s not gonna happen. Andy is truthfully one of my biggest inspirations…” Draper said in his on-court interview after his win over Marcos Giron.

Murray was knighted in 2016 for his contribution to the sport while representing the Union Jack. In an era dominated by the seemingly invincible Big Three, Murray was able to snag three Majors, two Olympic golds, and the year-end No.1 ranking — not bad for a man who overcame two major hip surgeries. The Briton’s tale had a visible impact on his protégé.

Draper started well against Giron, winning the first set 6-4 in clinical fashion. With a 5-2 lead in the second set, it looked like a forgone conclusion in favor of the Brit, but he got broken and went 1-3 down in the tiebreak. This is where the young Brit showed his ability to “win ugly” and secure the victory, something for which he gave Murray the credit, and not without reason.

Problem-solving and gritting out matches through defensive masterclasses were Murray’s specialties. The British player notched several victories throughout his career with his style, including winning his first Major at the 2012 US Open. Against a formidable Novak Djokovic in the final, Murray played patient tennis and maintained a high level of baseline accuracy. He beat the Serb, earning his first Grand Slam and becoming the first British man to win the title in 76 years.

Murray employed the same tactic against Fernando Verdasco the following year at Wimbledon, beating the Spaniard after losing the first two sets. That win served as the catalyst for his eventual triumph over Djokovic in the final. But while the magnitude of Murray’s wins can be revisited in many ways, Draper will hope to imbibe the grit that made them possible.

With Murray himself admitting that Draper is “a quick learner” and “a more complete player” than he had expected, the collaboration seems more focused on the mental side. Draper already has a ferocious left-handed forehand and a solid serve, but to keep winning ugly would require long matches and superior athletic ability, both of which have been lacking in his game so far.

Jack Draper will look to make the most of it with Murray at helm

The budding partnership between Jack Draper and Andy Murray is not for a long period, as Murray has prioritized balance between family and coaching life. The tennis life is hectic enough, with a lot of travel to foreign locations, which the former three-time Major champion was not willing to entertain, given the hectic stint he had with Novak Djokovic last year.

“I really like Jack, and I wanted to help him when he asked if I could. But I was very clear about my limitations, said Murray in a Telegraph interview. “Traveling every week during the season is not feasible for me right now, and that’s why coaching positions are rare”.

On the technical side of things, Murray was impressed with Draper’s playing levels, despite coming back after a lengthy injury layoff. That’s why Murray emphasized the importance of getting matches under his belt to regain his physical conditioning and return to contention for the biggest events.

Murray was on point with the injuries that had struck Draper big time before the US Open last year, as he suffered a bone bruising before the New York Major, forcing him to withdraw in the second round. That injury left him sidelined at the Australian Open this year. He did play a few matches in Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami, but just when he looked like getting into the rhythm, a knee injury in Barcelona saw him out of action at the French Open.

However, despite these injuries, Draper has shown glimpses of his ceiling, winning the title at Indian Wells last year and finishing runner-up at Madrid. He has also shown defiance against the sport’s current giants, having beaten Djokovic in a thriller at Indian Wells this year and Alcaraz twice in best-of-three-set matches.

With Wimbledon a week away, Draper will look to get as many matches in as possible without flaring up any old injury, as he will now face Jack Pinnington Jones in the second round in Eastbourne. He will be determined to improve his record at his home Slam, where he has never reached the third round.