Sir Andy Murray backs Jack Draper for Wimbledon: ‘He is bloody good’

Jack Draper could yet come good for Wimbledon despite all the fitness issues that have bedevilled him, according to his new “super coach” Sir Andy Murray.

Since announcing Murray’s hiring in mid-May, Draper has been unable to play on the ATP Tour because of injury and the latest issue is understood to relate to his serving shoulder.

But Murray said he hopes that Draper’s recalcitrant body, which has restricted him to eight completed matches this season and only one after Wimbledon last year, is on the mend.

“Jack is supposed to be playing in Eastbourne next week,” Murray said during a visit to Queen’s Club on Tuesday. “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.”

Murray’s advice is likely to be an enormous asset for Draper on the grass as and when he is able to appear. As a two-time Wimbledon winner, Murray understands the particular tactical niceties required on the surface. And as a former British No 1, he can relate the pressure and expectation that come with leading the line at your home tournament.

Despite the lengthy absences that have meant Draper has plummeted to No 113 in the world rankings, he has stood as high as No 4 after winning his biggest title in Indian Wells last year and reached the final of Madrid to boot. It was this sort of achievement that helped reignite Murray’s enthusiasm for coaching, at a time when he seemed more interested in bringing down his golf handicap to scratch.

“I really like Jack, and I wanted to help him when he asked if I could,” explained Murray, who had previously spent four months coaching his former nemesis Novak Djokovic during the early part of 2025. “But I was quite clear about what it is I could and couldn’t do.”

Travelling every week on the tour, Murray explained “is not something that I want to do right now, and it’s why there’s very few coaching jobs that I could potentially help with. The fact that he lives 30 minutes away allows us to spend a lot more time together than what would be the case with a player from Spain or America: that’s just not going to work, and you wouldn’t feel like you’re actually able to help them.

“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.”

Telegraph Sport understands that the arrangement comprises an anticipated 10 weeks’ work a year for Murray, who stressed said: “I still want to be able to pick my kids up from school, drop them off at home.”

As for the nuts and bolts of the role, Murray rejected any suggestion that it might have felt “weird” to sit at courtside and watch Djokovic play in those early tournaments last year – which included a memorable victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne.

“I didn’t find it weird when I was watching matches with Novak,” he added. “The build-up to the matches I found quite hard, because you need to get your communication with the player right, and make sure that everything is under control: the right courts booked, practice partners, balls, rackets, strategy. All of those sorts of things. You want that to go smoothly. And then once the player is out on the court, I found it quite easy

“I found the pre-match stuff harder than sitting in the box watching and observing a tennis match and trying to be objective about it. I didn’t feel like I got too emotionally invested in the matches where I couldn’t think. To be honest, I quite liked that part of it.”

We can only hope that Murray will be able to enjoy sitting in the coaching boxes on Centre Court this summer, because Draper’s presence would be a huge fillip for British fans at Wimbledon.