Jack Draper Reveals One Major Advice Andy Murray Gave Him to Help His Game on the Court

Jack Draper to return to the court at the UTS Grand Final in London, United Kingdom.

Jack Draper Reveals One Major Advice Andy Murray Gave Him to Help His Game on the Court

Andy Murray and Jack Draper (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Jack Draper has been tipped by several pundits and former players to be the natural successor of Andy Murray on tour. The British No.1 is yet to reach the heights of the 38-year-old’s influence and records. However, he has revealed that Murray shared with him some tips that helped him evolve his game this season.

Draper has proven that he can compete with the big players on tour, having reached the semi-finals of the 2024 US Open and winning his first Masters 1000 crown at the Indian Wells in March. Sadly, injuries have consistently marred his attempts at consistent progression, making his career so far somewhat inconsistent.

He remains one of the most skillful players on tour and has been technically outstanding. But his major issue has been his physical consistency. He managed to have one of the best first halves of the season this year, reaching three finals. His first came at the Qatar Open, where he reached the final before losing to Andrey Rublev.

His second final came at Indian Wells, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune en route to the title. The British star then reached his final at the Madrid Open, but lost the championship to Casper Ruud. However, he suffered a bone bruise at Wimbledon before sustaining an arm injury.

He has not featured in a tour-level event since August, but he’s slated to be back on the court during the pre-season. During an interview with LTA, the 23-year-old revealed that he was struggling against left-handed players on tour before British legend Murray gave him advice on how to approach them:

I’d say one good tip when playing a lefty, and I learnt this from Andy Murray, is that the thing you struggle the most with against lefties is on your return. So, if you’re on the deuce side you might start your position more in to the centre line so you give them less angle with their slider serves. Psychologically you might feel that you’ve left the other side of the box open but you’re forcing them to hit a flat serve, which a lefty doesn’t naturally want to do.

Draper’s final game this season came at the US Open, where he defeated Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round before withdrawing. He called an end to his season weeks later with the aim of returning to the tour at the tour next season. With a few exhibition matches during the pre-season, he will have built his confidence for 2026.

Jack Draper aims to use the pre-season to gain full throttle ahead of next season

Jack Draper has been on the sidelines from August to November, which means he will need time to recover and get back to form. He has chosen to play at the UTS Grand Final in London, his home city, with the aim of using it to get back to his best physical level ahead of the 2026 season, which he hopes to reach Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s level.

Jack Draper Vuori US Open 2025
Jack Draper (image via Matt Fitzgerald)

The UTS Grand Final is slated to start on December 5 and run through to the 7th at the Copper Box Arena. During an interview with Sky Sports, Draper admitted that he aims to use the exhibition tournament to the full. He added that it is also a chance for him to play against top players in the men’s circuit:

And now I’m building up my confidence and building up my tennis to be at full throttle again. It’s a chance to compete, also a chance to play the world’s best players again. I think when you have time out the game, it’s really important to sort of get on their speed again. It will be interesting to see where his game stands up against some of the sport’s biggest names after such a lengthy period sidelined.

Draper won the UTS Grand Final in 2023, which ultimately helped him gain confidence ahead of the 2024 season, which was his breakout year on tour. At the tournament, he defeated the likes of Alexander Bublik, Gael Monfils, and Holger Rune to the delight of the hometown crowd at the venue.

Also Read: Elena Rybakina Decides to Postpone Pre-Season Tour After a Hectic 2025 Season