Andy Murray Backs Jack Draper to Return From Injury Ahead of the Wimbledon Championships

Jack Draper’s career has been left unsettled due to injuries since last season. His return to court has often resulted in another injury, prolonging his stay on the sidelines. However, he’s set for a return ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, and his coach and former World No.1 Andy Murray has backed him to take the big step.

Draper was having consistent performance on the court until last year’s Wimbledon, where he suffered a lingering bone bruise to his left humerus and arm that forced him away from the court for months. He did return to tour at the US Open but only played one match before pulling out of the event.

The British star was at this time last year, seeking to break into the top 4 of the ATP rankings ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. Currently, he’s languishing at World No.113 due to injuries. He has not played a competitive match since retiring against Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open.

His last win on tour came against Novak Djokovic at the Indian Wells, and he reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. After retiring at the Barcelona Open, he announced that he’s having issues with his serving shoulder, something which began at last year’s US Open.

He missed the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and Roland Garros. He also withdrew from the Queen’s Club Championships, an event he reached the semi-finals of last year. Speaking to The Guardian, Andy Murray revealed that Draper will be back on the court for the Eastbourne International ahead of Wimbledon:

Jack is supposed to be playing in Eastbourne next week. 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. Obviously he’s had lots of issues the last year with various injuries. 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.

The Eastbourne International comes a week before Wimbledon, which means Draper will not feature in the exhibition events at the All England Club. Nonetheless, the biggest question will be whether one tournament is enough preparation for Draper ahead of a Grand Slam event.

Andy Murray still focused on his family despite a coaching job on Jack Draper’s team

Andy Murray retired from tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a couple of years struggling with injuries and his body. The British legend left the sport having won three Grand Slams, including two Wimbledons, and became World No.1, challenging the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

Since his retirement, he has remained close to tennis, coaching Djokovic for four months last season and then becoming Draper’s coach this year. That has seen him grow in his coaching career and has gained a lot of experience. Nevertheless, he told the aforementioned publication that his priority still remains his family despite his coaching Draper:

I really like Jack, and I wanted to help him when he asked if I could. But I was quite clear about what I could and couldn’t do. I still want to be able to pick my kids up from school, drop them off at home. If that wasn’t something that worked for him, then that was also absolutely fine. But I said I’d still love to help you if you would like that. He’s asked for me to help him over this next period. I’ve enjoyed being on court with him. We’ll see how the next few weeks pan out.

Murray did not attend last year’s Wimbledon. That was the first time in a decade that the 39-year-old was not at the All England Club during the Grand Slam tournament. But this year, he’s expected to be at the tournament alongside Draper as he hopes to get the best from the former World No.4.

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