London, United Kingdom) – Still considered one of the young promises on the current circuit, Briton Jack Draper made an important hire for his technical team. This is South African Wayne Ferreira, former number 6 in the world and who worked in recent years with North American Frances Tiafoe, helping him reach his first Grand Slam semifinal and reach the top 10 of the ranking.
Ferreira and Tiaofe separated at the end of 2023, and soon afterwards the coach began working with the Chinese Wu Yibing, but the partnership did not last long. Now, the South African will join James Trotman, a professional linked to the British Federation who is expected to remain as leader of Draper’s team.
According to The Telegraph, Ferreira has been at the National Tennis Center in London in recent days, working with Draper and Trotman as they prepare for the Masters 1000 in Rome, which takes place next Wednesday. Currently in 43rd position in the rankings, the 22-year-old Brit is still far from being seeded in major events, but sees the partnership with the new coach as a possibility of finally reaching higher heights in his career.
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Injuries hindered Draper’s progress
Still without a title under his belt, the British left-hander has already played in two ATP finals, on the hard courts of Sofia in 2023 and Adelaide in 2024. He also has two victories in five games against opponents from the top 10, having defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, then fifth place, at the Masters 1000 in Montréal in 2022, and the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, who was eighth in the ranking, at the US Open of the same year.
One of the biggest problems faced by Draper in recent seasons was injuries, which caused constant changes of physical trainers in his team. Anyway, now working alongside the experienced Steve Kotze, who previously played with Andy Murray, the young tennis player spent the first four months of 2024 without any injuries. On the court, there were 11 wins and eight defeats, with some standout campaigns: in addition to finishing second in Adelaide, he finished semi-finals in Acapulco and quarter-finals in Munich.
