Jack Draper is officially returning to the ATP Tour at the Lexus Eastbourne International on Monday after a two-and-a-half-month absence. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since mid-April following a match retirement at the Barcelona Open due to knee tendonitis. To organize his grass-court season comeback, Draper hired three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray as his short-term coach.
The new partnership follows Draper’s recent split from former coach Jamie Delgado. After battling a severe bone bruise, knee issues, and a serving shoulder problem that restricted him to just 10 matches in 2026, Draper’s ranking has plummeted 109 spots down to No. 113 globally.
What We Know
- Draper drew fifth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima as his opening-round opponent at Eastbourne.
- Nakashima enters the tournament following a semi-final appearance at the Queen’s Club Championships.
- Murray agreed to the coaching role with strict boundaries to ensure he can fulfill his family duties, including picking his children up from school.
During practice sessions at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, Draper discussed feeling isolated while watching his career stall over the last year. He praised Murray’s mentorship as a significant energy boost during the toughest period of his professional life.
“Having someone who believes in me and my tennis,” Draper said, detailing the mental hurdles of his physical recovery, according to a recent report by The Guardian. Draper explicitly cited Murray’s “incredible” tennis knowledge as the driving force behind his current training blocks.
Murray offered high praise for his new pupil ahead of Monday’s opening round. He called Draper’s practice form “bloody good” and stated the 24-year-old is a “more complete player than probably what I expected.”
Draper’s current No. 113 ranking is a sharp fall from his career-high of No. 4 last year, a season where he captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and reached the US Open semi-finals. He now looks to rebuild his tour momentum on the grass courts against Nakashima.