Overview
- Andy Murray joined Jack Draper’s team for the grass season and was coaching from courtside at the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Monday to support Draper’s return to competition.
- Draper is due to play his first match in roughly two months against Brandon Nakashima in Eastbourne as a calibrated fitness and form test ahead of Wimbledon.
- The comeback follows a year of repeated injuries, including a left-arm bone bruise and a right-knee tendon problem, that limited Draper to few matches and caused a steep fall in the ATP rankings.
- Draper and Murray have a long personal history dating to 2019, and Draper says Murray’s calm mentorship and technical tweaks, notably on his serve, are aimed at reducing injury risk and rebuilding confidence.
- Eastbourne is being treated primarily as an assessment stop that could affect Draper’s readiness for Wimbledon, his need for match minutes and potential wildcard or seeding decisions in the coming week.