British No 1 Jack Draper has split from long-time coach James Trotman having hired Andy Murray’s former coach Jamie Delgado last week.

Draper’s representatives were keen to stress that Trotman remained very much a part of the team but he has now made the decision to step back completely to prioritise time with his family.

Trotman took over as Draper’s lead coach in late 2021 having worked with him through his role at the Lawn Tennis Association.

And the 46-year-old helped Draper climb from outside the world’s top 250 to a high of fourth in the rankings in June.

“I’ve made the decision that four years has been a great run,” Trotman said.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was getting increasingly difficult for me juggling the demands Jack deserves as the player that he is – and also being a father and a husband.

“I need to start to get those energy levels back up and have a little bit more normality – watch my son play football on a Sunday, go on some family holidays, have a bit more of a normal life.”

Under Trotman, Draper won three ATP Tour titles, including the Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells in March, while he made his major grand slam breakthrough by reaching the semi-finals of the US Open last summer.

“My relationship with Jack is strong. We are extremely close,” Trotman continued.

“We spent more time with each other than anybody else on the planet over the past four years.

“We are going to stay incredibly close and obviously I’ll be following and supporting in any way I can from the sidelines.

“Whatever Jack does in the future, I feel incredibly proud of the work that I’ve done.

“And where Jack is now, is not just as a result of me, it’s a result of everybody that’s worked with Jack and his family from a young age.”

Trotman’s departure puts Delgado in sole charge of Draper’s coaching, with the former British Davis Cup player, who was a part of Murray’s team for nearly six years, having split from Grigor Dimitrov last month.

“One of the few people we could have worked really well together with was Jamie,” Trotman added.

“I have a huge respect for him as a person and as a coach and the job that he has done with Gilles Muller, Andy [Murray] and more recently with Grigor [Dimitrov].”

Draper is currently recovering from the bone bruising in his left arm that has seen him play just one match since Wimbledon and is set to return to the court at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown Grand Final in London in December.

Coach Trotman one of the best

Trotman’s guidance has been a key component to helping Draper on his journey by avoiding knee-jerk corrections, instead giving his player the chance to process and internalise.

Speaking to Tennis Icon magazine this summer, Draper said: “Trots is a very special man. Obviously, he’s an incredible tennis coach. He’s been on the journey with me for many years now even before he was officially my coach.

“We have such a close, personal, and professional relationship and I think the style in which he coaches me and the way he is around me, he gets the absolute best out of me, and I wouldn’t want anyone else in my corner. He inspires me every day and he’s a real mentor to me. I tell him most days that I love him very, very much.”

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