Jack Draper is far and away Britain’s best hope of winning a Grand Slam in the near future, in both the men and women’s draws.
The British number one won his first Masters title in 2025, as well as reaching a career ranking high of World No. 4.
Draper has been marred by injury issues since the 2025 US Open, with an arm injury derailing the last six months of his career.
With his return to the ATP Tour imminent, Draper’s first-ever coach has shared his opinion on what the British star was really like in his early career.
How Jack Draper shocked his first-ever coach when he was a child
Appearing on Coachlife, Draper’s first-ever coach, Justin Sherring, detailed what his first session with the British star was like.
“I remember working with Jack Draper the first time I saw Jack. His mother brought him to me and said, ‘Look, I think he’s pretty good.’ And I was like, ‘Well, he’s he’s still pretty young.’
“This guy turns up at sort of five or six years old and looks at me and sort of checks me out. I thought I was checking him out. I thought I was giving him a trial. He was definitely giving me a trial,” he said.
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He revealed that Draper’s championship-winning mentality could even be seen when he was a child learning the game.
“So even at that young age, five, six years old, I felt like most sessions were a bit like a job interview. I felt the stress of that like I have to be good enough for you.
“And I will always say thank you. I will always be very grateful for the pressure that Jack put on me for about 10 years.
“I think in the end we started to get a bit more relaxed. Of course we did. But there was definitely that sense of look, this is serious to me.”
Draper also worked with Ryan Jones and latterly James Trotman as he made his way into professional tennis.
The British star is currently working with Andy Murray’s former coach Jamie Delgado as he prepares to return to the ATP Tour.
Jack Draper’s first coach received huge praise for aiding his development
Sherring has received acclaim for his work with Draper following his immense success in the professional game.
Speaking to the LTA, Draper’s mum lauded Sherring for helping the British star evolve into a professional athlete.
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She explained: “It was around this time that Jack started to be coached by Justin Sherring at Weybridge Tennis Academy.
“Justin worked with him from 2006 until 2016, until he was 15. He was absolutely brilliant for Jack and he played a massive part in his younger development.”
Draper made his professional debut in 2018, just two years after splitting with Sherring.
