Draper persuading Murray to help him feels like a natural union between the master and apprentice of British men’s tennis.
The bond between the pair has long been strong, with Draper often referring to Murray as a “big brother” figure and Murray available on the phone if Draper has ever needed career advice.
The strength of their personal relationship was also famously illustrated by the video of a beer-swigging Draper singing on their way home together from a Davis Cup win in 2023.
Murray, ever the contrarian, played up to the role of an exasperated older sibling and the pair became a viral hit.
It demonstrated a warm, natural friendship which meant linking up together in a player-coach relationship always felt inevitable – although the timing now is a surprise.
Draper already had a vastly experienced coach in Delgado, who is best known for his work with Murray but has a strong CV which also includes guiding former world number three Grigor Dimitrov to two Grand Slam quarter-finals.
While their time on court together was limited, Delgado had already implemented a change to Draper’s serving motion and would clearly provide a wealth of valuable knowledge on the British grass, having been part of Murray’s team when he won his second Wimbledon title in 2016.
For Murray’s part, it seemed he was finally content to take some extended time away from the sport which he has dedicated his life to.
The partnership with Djokovic was a steep learning curve and one which he found valuable.
But only last month Murray spoke about not wanting to return to coaching yet. Spending more time with his family was a priority, as was expanding his business investments and improving his golf game.
Now he feels the opportunity to help nurture Draper – especially without the commitment of travelling far from his Surrey home – is too good to turn down.
Nobody knows more than Murray about the expectations and stress which are planted on a British player at Wimbledon.
He also knows what it is like to battle physical issues as a younger player and become robust enough to stay on court for a sustained period – the first task for a partnership which has the capacity to thrill British sports fans.
