British No. 1 Jack Draper appoints Andy Murray's former coach

Jack Draper has already made a significant decision ahead of the 2026 season by hiring a former coach of Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov.

Draper is currently sidelined with an arm injury that forced him to retire from the 2025 US Open before the second round. After some consideration, he cut the rest of his season short because of that problem.

That disappointment should not detract from Draper's exceptional season. He won his first Masters 1000 title at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, was runner-up to Casper Ruud at the 2025 Madrid Open, and reached No. 4 in the rankings.

James Trotman has coached Draper since 2021. The 46-year-old deserves significant credit for guiding Draper from an inexperienced player to one of the best on the ATP circuit.

However, The Times reported that Trotman will be with Draper for fewer weeks in 2026. After several years of traveling with the 2024 US Open semifinalist without much of a break, Trotman is ready to spend more time with his family.

That left Draper with a conundrum. Rather than appoint someone as a secondary coach to step in when Trotman is away, the 24-year-old has hired another figure as his new leading coach.

Jamie Delgado, another Briton, will occupy that role when Draper returns from his injury. Delgado has a successful track record of working with top players since ending his own playing career.

He was Andy Murray's assistant coach for several years, helping him win the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. Delgado remained loyal and kept working with Murray for a while after he declined because of a chronic hip injury.

At the end of 2022, Delgado became Grigor Dimitrov's coach. Under the 48-year-old's guidance, the Bulgarian enjoyed a resurgence after a barren few years, surprising those who thought Dimitrov's time near the top was over.

The 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist reached two Masters 1000 titles and won his first title in over six years at the 2024 Adelaide International. Delgado focused Dimitrov and gave him a newfound belief.

Despite their success, Dimitrov and Delgado amicably parted ways a few weeks ago. That gave a new ATP or WTA player an opportunity to work with a recently successful coach, and Draper swiftly took it.

No partnership is guaranteed to be successful. However, Draper working with another British coach with an excellent track record makes sense and could push him to new heights.

Novak Djokovic's appointment of Andy Murray was one of the most high-profile in tennis history. They made a strong start, with Djokovic getting to the 2025 Australian Open semifinal before retiring with an injury and the 2025 Miami Open final.

Unfortunately, results sharply declined in the opening weeks of the clay-court swing. Djokovic and Murray mutually agreed that it was not working anymore and parted ways, but they still retain a good relationship.

Stefanos Tsitsipas had a brief spell with the 2001 Wimbledon men's singles champion Goran Ivanisevic until they split after the Croatian brutally criticized his mindset and fitness. Tsitsipas rehired his father afterward.