Jamie Delgado can’t hide his excitement at the prospect of working with Jack Draper and with the aim of taking the 24-year-old to the pinnacle of the sport. The British No 1 returns to ATP Tour action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – live on Sky Sports Tennis.
Under former coach James Trotman, Draper won three ATP Tour titles, including the Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells last March, while he made his major Grand Slam breakthrough by reaching the semi-finals of the US Open in 2024 as well as reaching a a high of fourth in the rankings.
Delgado’s three-year partnership with Grigor Dimitrov came to an end in September, but he is best known for his work with Andy Murray, helping the Scot win a second Wimbledon title and end 2016 as world No 1. So can he help take Draper to Grand Slam glory?
“I’m super excited,” Delgado told Sky Sports Tennis. “He’s one of the up and coming players in world tennis and one of the few guys that can challenge Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] at the top.
“He’s British as well, which for me makes it even more special. He’s a great player, great boy and super exciting.
“James spent a couple of weeks with us on the practice court and I’ve known James for so long and kept up to date with Jack’s progress in recent years. I’ve been on the practice court with them over time as well, which has been a help.
“Even though I known Jack for a long time, that sort of insight – how he trains, what makes him tick – it’s been a good head start for me.”
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Jack Draper reflected on his performance in his return to the court in the Davis Cup qualifying match against Viktor Durasovic, which he won in straight sets
What goes into the player-coach partnership?
Delgado helped coach Andy Murray to world No 1 in 2016
Delgado explained: “You’re sort of managing the whole team and not just him. The physical side, the management side, the coaching side, the schedule. You’re always learning [what makes him tick]. The previous players I’ve coached, you never feel as if you know them 100 per cent. You’ve got to work at it and get to know them off the court as well because that’s really important to have them happy and have certain things off the court that will help them on the court.
“He’s a great boy, he’s super honest, he’s very humble. He speaks directly to you so he’s an easy person to get to know and I’ve loved it.
“I think he is [close to the top]. He’s beaten Carlos a couple of times now. The obvious things in his game are that he clearly has a lot of power. To beat those top guys you need to take the racket out of their hands. It’s very difficult to beat them cat and mouse, beat them from the baseline or outplaying them. You do need shots that on the day are good enough to knock them off the court and he definitely has that.
“A week like Indian Wells he can clearly serve big, he can hit the ball big from the baseline, and physically he can match them as well. He’s right there! Those guys have done it very consistently over the last few years and have got the titles to prove that but Jack’s got it in his locker to compete with these guys and push them for big titles.”
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A look at the best of the action from Jack Draper’s 2025 en route to becoming world No 4
Can he emerge from the pack of challengers?
Draper reached the US Open semi-finals in 2024
“It could be Jack. Why not? That’s the way I’m thinking and seeing it,” said Delgado. “That’s the way he’s seeing it as well. You never know who it’s going to be but there’s no reason why it can’t be Jack. I think he’s shown enough, already for people to rightfully think it might be him. He went on a path of winning a 250 event, then 500, he won a Masters series, he’s been in a semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
“He has had wins over Carlos. I don’t think he’s beaten Jannik and I think the mentality side of it is important that he has had those results to give him confidence to maybe beat these guys in the biggest of matches.”
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Sky Sports’ Laura Robson and Tim Henman answer your burning questions about the state of British tennis and much more
Can he win a Grand Slam one day?
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Highlights of the Indian Wells final between Draper and Holger Rune
“I’ve always had that mindset with the players I’ve coached to try and achieve something that they haven’t before. It’s not always easy when you’re working with top players but a Slam is something he obviously hasn’t achieved yet. That is something that is possible.”
This duopoly can’t go on forever, can it?
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The best points shared between the world’s best players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
“They’re obviously super young and you think it’s going to go on for a while but it’s difficult. I know they make it look very easy to be there and win these tournaments but it does take a lot out of you and if you only drop five per cent, your mindset, your hunger, that edge that makes you win these tournaments, you could lose a few matches.
“Even in the last year or so, Grigor could have beaten him at Wimbledon and he struggled against Eliot Spizzirri at the Australian Open. There are matches he can lose but for someone like Jack, he’s going to have to play very well, improve, and it could be nice if they dropped their level a little bit.”
Draper’s troublesome arm injury
Draper missed most of the 2025 season following Wimbledon with a troublesome arm injury
“In the short-term I’m trying to help him think long-term but fully aware that he’s down on matches and his ranking is dropping so it’s tough to get that confidence in those big matches without that but I’m looking at his game and trying to build something that could win him a Grand Slam. We’ve definitely got that vision.
“You never know when it’s going to happen but as long as you’re building in the right manner it gives you the best chance.”
Why Draper has the game…
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Draper answers questions about how life has changed for him since breaking into the top five
“His backhand is rock solid but I think it could be better. He can be a bit more offensive with that shot. He defends amazingly well and he can change direction. He’s got all the shots on that side but can he be a bit more proactive with that? I think he can.
“Can he put guys in tougher situations? I think he can. His forehand is a shot when he is going for it and feeling it – there’s so much power that he can outmuscle guys on that shot. He can change direction super well, especially on a court that gives him a little bit more time when he’s got time to load up on it. When I watch it, I’m glad I’m not playing against it.
“I’m not comparing him to [Rafael] Nadal but in terms of that lefty style he likes to lift the ball high and it’s better when he has a bit more time, and serve. He has variation on the serve, it’s difficult to read it and he gets good power as well. He’s got some shots that takes the racket out of your hands – even the best players.”
Draper compared to Sinner and Alcaraz in 2025
What does Draper have to do to conquer grass?
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A look back at the story of Draper’s sensational victory at the Stuttgart Open in 2024
Draper saw his Wimbledon journey come to a crashing halt, as he was beaten by former finalist Marin Cilic last year meaning all three of his campaigns in south west London have foundered by the second round.
Delgado said: “When you watch him play you would naturally think that he suits a slower court needing a bit more time but he has had some success on grass, even in juniors when he got to the Wimbledon final and he won Stuttgart 250 on grass a couple of years ago.
“To do well on grass, I think the return would be an important thing for him this year. He has the ability to return further up the court closer to baseline, especially on second serve returns. When you look at Carlos and Jannik on a grass court, they are taking time away.
“And the movement side of things, I think we’ll see an improvement in his movement on grass this year.”
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