Andy Murray returns to coaching as Jack Draper targets Wimbledon

Andy Murray has found his next competitive outlet without picking up the racket for a full-scale comeback. Less than two years after retiring at the Paris Olympic Games, the two-time Olympic singles champion has returned to the sport as Jack Draper’s coach for the grass-court season, a move that puts one of Britain’s most decorated players back in the Wimbledon conversation from the sideline.

Murray ended a 20-year pro career after what the ATP described as his final tour-level event in Paris in August 2024, closing a career that included five Olympic appearances and a record only he owns: two men’s singles gold medals. Since then, he has already spent six months in Novak Djokovic’s corner, from November 2024 to May 2025, a spell that showed Murray could still influence elite tennis without chasing one more run of his own.

His latest role is more pointed. Draper, who reached the United States Open semifinals in 2024 and climbed as high as world No. 4 in 2025, has been hampered by injuries that pushed him down to around No. 50. Murray joined Draper’s team after Draper split with Jamie Delgado, and the pair’s first grass-court assignment was confirmed as the Stuttgart BOSS Open on June 8 before the season moved toward Eastbourne and then Wimbledon. For British men’s tennis, the partnership brings together experience, tactical detail and a player whose ceiling remains obvious when healthy.

Murray has been candid about why coaching appeals to him after retirement. He has described it as rewarding, especially around matches, analysis and strategy, while also admitting it is demanding work. That balance matters for a player like Draper, whose 2026 season has been disrupted by fitness issues but whose left-handed power and recent pedigree still make him a genuine threat if he can stay on court. Murray has already praised Draper’s level and backed him for Wimbledon, a sign that the former champion sees more than a short-term fix in this partnership.

The contrast with Serena Williams sharpens Murray’s own second act. Williams, 44, returned to a professional court at Queen’s Club in doubles with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko and has not ruled out singles, a reminder that elite athletes do not all age or recover in the same way. Murray said he was not surprised by her comeback, but his own answer to retirement has been different: family time, golf, and now a coaching role that keeps him close to tennis without asking his body to relive it. For Draper, that could be a decisive edge. For British men’s tennis, it is a rare chance to turn Murray’s experience into another deep Wimbledon run.