Anointed as the next saviour of British tennis following a superb run to the 2024 US Open semi-finals aged just 22, Jack Draper had the world at his feet.
The uncertainty of the post-Sir Andy Murray world had been vanquished by a fresh-faced, 6ft 4in Londoner with a penchant for rocketing forehands past unassuming opponents.
At Wimbledon 13 years ago, Murray gave us all a ‘I know where I was’ moment, perhaps the jewel in a career that yielded three majors and two Olympic golds.
For over 15 years, the hopes and dreams of a nation rested on the shoulders of the now retired 39-year-old as it had on Tim Henman before him.
But Father Time and a string of injury problems forced Murray to retire, and once he bowed out at Roland-Garros during Paris 2024, Draper filled the void, and in doing so, put the rest of the tennis world on notice: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner appeared to have company.
The latter may have dumped the Sutton-native out at Flushing Meadows in straight sets – failing to star in the sequel to good friend Emma Raducanu’s success story three years earlier - but rising inside the top 20 in the world rankings will have softened the blow for Britain’s new leading man.
Wins at the Stuttgart Open – his maiden title - and Vienna Open straddled Draper’s exploits in New York, before the biggest victory of his career to date followed in March 2025.
After reaching the Qatar Open final a month prior, a first Masters 1000 title – the circuit of nine events that sit just beneath Grand Slams in the pecking order – came at Indian Wells in which superstar Alcaraz was dispatched en route to a 6-2 6-2 victory over Holger Rune in the showpiece.
A second 1000 title in Madrid passed him by soon after as Casper Ruud won in three sets in the final, but everything looked good for Draper to star at his home slam after reaching the semi-finals at Queen’s.
However, SW19 wasn’t to be the happy hunting ground many expected.
A second-round exit at the hands of 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic was not part of the plan, but Draper, ranked fourth in the world at this point, had no answer to the barrage the Croat unleashed.
Rather than follow in the footsteps of Murray in terms of winning at Wimbledon, Draper has so far followed the former world No. 1 in a different way, as since then, he’s gone on to suffer wretched luck with injuries.
A bruised humerus - the bone that runs from the shoulder to elbow - on his left serving arm saw Draper play only once more after Wimbledon – the first round at the US Open – until representing Great Britain at the Davis Cup in February.
And Draper revealed it was more than just physical pain that he was suffering from during that lay-off.
"It's been a long time, but I've learned a lot of things,” he said in Oslo ahead of his return to the court.
“You're kind of like in a hole and you need to get yourself out of that hole somehow, especially with a long injury. There's not been just one moment but many moments where it's been very, very difficult, not only for myself but for my team and my family. But that's where you've got to stay strong, you've got to keep on going.”
Victory over Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Indian Wells this year has so far proven to be the high point of a season that has yet to fully get going.
When he finally took to the court again in the first round of the Barcelona Open, the curse of injury struck once more.
This time, Draper’s right knee was the problem, which forced him to retire in the deciding third set against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, when trailing 3-6, 6-3, 4-1.
When it rains, it pours, and for Stone Roses fan Draper, he must have felt like he’s been living under a Waterfall.
Deep down, Draper would love to beat the career achievements of Murray, who wouldn’t?
But you know what they say when you can’t beat someone, or at least not at the moment, you join them, and that’s exactly what Draper has done.
The pair famously shared a car ride following Great Britain’s Davis Cup success over France in Manchester three years ago, with the Scot less than impressed at Draper’s rendition of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers.
But now Murray will be standing shoulder to shoulder with Draper in SW19 having joined his coaching team in what could be a grass-court partnership for the ages.
Murray’s first foray into coaching came in between November 2024 and May 2025 when he joined forces with long-time rival Novak Djokovic.
That partnership was barren when it came to silverware but Murray is a grass-court specialist, having won his two Wimbledon titles and his first Olympic gold medal at the All England Club, as well as being a five-time champion at Queen’s.
And with Cam Norrie being the only British man to reach the quarter-finals or better at Wimbledon since 2017, Murray collaborating with Draper could be the shot in the arm British tennis needs after a relatively difficult last nine years.
Sportsbeat 2026