"He believes in me and my tennis" - Jack Draper has revealed he has received a big boost from his new coach Andy Murray ahead of Wimbledon.
The former British No 1 prepares to return to tennis action at the Eastbourne Open on Monday when he tackles American Brandon Nakashima, who made it as far as the semi-finals at Queen's before losing to eventual champion Francisco Cerundolo.
Draper has been hampered by injuries since the US Open last August, with a knee problem causing his latest stint on the sidelines since April.
But he returns on the grass of Eastbourne one week before Wimbledon starts with Murray, a two-time champion at the All England Club, as part of his coaching set-up for the first time in competition.
Draper revealed that Murray had helped him focus on the longer-term picture amid his fight to regain fitness.
"He [Murray] has always supported me," said Draper. "I've always had a great relationship with Andy. We spent some time together towards the back end of his career and he's been a great support to me every since he has stopped as well, but it felt like a really good time to get Andy in my team. I've always wanted that because he's one of my biggest inspirations.
"To have him there in my coaching team, not only as a coach, but a mentor as somebody who has been through it all, which is a special thing. But also the fact that he believes in me, believes in my tennis - especially in this moment now which is to come back and build myself up again. It gives me a big boost!"
Murray has delivered glowing praise of Draper's ability, hailing his tennis as "b****y good".
"I was thinking to myself, 'I was like No 4 in the world'. I think I was always pretty good," Draper jested. "Hearing that from Andy means on another level, so he's a special, special person, not only as a person, but also his tennis knowledge. If he's saying that about you, then there's no one who you can get more confidence from than him.
"To know someone who has dealt with all the things that you have gone through such as injuries, or pressure moments, or how to deal with certain situations, he really does bring to me so many different things and he delivers it in such a calm way and in a way that is very helpful. He's very honest but also very calm. He has a very good influence on me."
Draper, who has endured an injury-stricken 12 months and has only played nine matches in 2026, said: "I'm so happy to be back at a tournament. It's been way too long. My body is feeling good. It's been a tough time doing rehab and not be able to get on the match court but to come back at a tournament like Eastbourne is great so I'm really happy.
"I always saw injuries as being a one-to-two-week thing, so when you have a big one, you do lose a lot of confidence in your body and doing the thing that you've always been able to do.
"You can go from doing anything to then really struggling just to move without pain or something like that, so you have to work yourself through it. And luckily I've had some really amazing people around to help guide me and tell me, 'Jack, it's going to be alright, you'll get out there' and it's nice to be back."
Murray explained in an interview with how the coaching partnership with Draper could extend beyond Wimbledon, but only on certain terms around his own family life.
He said: "I get to spend a decent amount of time with Jack. I also believe a lot in his tennis. In the sessions I've done with him, I've been more impressed probably than what I expected and I thought he was good before I started helping him. He's a quick learner. He's got very few holes in his game. He's a more complete player than probably what I expected as well.
"I really like Jack, and I wanted to help him when he asked if I could. But I was quite clear about what I could and couldn't do. I still want to be able to pick my kids up from school, drop them off at home - he's asked for me to help him over this next period. I've enjoyed being on court with him. We'll see how the next few weeks pan out."
The third Grand Slam ​event of the year runs from June 29 to July 12.
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