Under James Trotman’s tutelage, Jack Draper became part of the ATP Tour elite in 2025.
The British star won Indian Wells and reached the Madrid Open final, which helped him climb to world number four ahead of last year’s Wimbledon.
Draper swapped Trotman for Jamie Delgado at the back end of 2025 as he looks to continue his form after returning from an arm injury that has kept him out since the US Open.
Trotman has now revealed some of the challenges he faced while coaching Draper at the top of the ATP Tour.
James Trotman shares the stark reality of coaching a star as big as Jack Draper
Trotman oversaw Draper’s huge ranking climb in 2025 and he said his job only got tougher the better the British star became.
Speaking to the LTA, Trotman shared the multiple issues he faced while trying to organise Draper’s hectic schedule.
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“You’re trying to navigate all these things and there’s a lot of moving parts. You’ve got to be able to react at times,” he said.
“Your communication has to be strong with the player and the team no matter what’s going on. As much as you’re going to plan something, like setting up your practice for Wimbledon over the clay season, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Are they going to be coming in with an injury?
“Are the guys you’re hitting with going to be coming in with an injury? How many matches have they had the week before? Maybe you’re having to manage the load slightly differently on that week.
“I think having a plan is really important, but the ability to be flexible and to adapt at a moment’s notice is also something that’s an essential part of the job.”
Trotman also divulged his opponent scouting while working with the British number one, which he said threw up a whole host of issues.
“Around match days, you’re going to be scouting the opponents. You’re spending time either watching their opponent if they’re still to play and you’ve got time to do that on site, or you’re going to watch a video stream of matches that they’ve played.
“When delivering that to your player, knowing them inside and out is really important. How much information they can take on, what is their skill set, how their game will match up with the opponents, etc.
“You’ll spend hours and hours of work scouting these matches and making your notes and preparing for it, but I would still always be focused on the player primarily, the expectations that they have for themselves and that we would build as a team.
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“With Jack, we would focus on him as a performer, his mentality, how he wants to manage those situations, his routines, his game style, his game identity.
“Then on top of that for Jack, when it came to specific coaching points and tactics, I’d usually try and keep it pretty simple. Two to three things around the opponent that they’ll be aware of too.
“Against a lot of these great players there’ll be certain things that maybe they do a little bit more predictable or certain things that they don’t do quite so well, but they have the ability still to be able to change that on any given day.
“However, if your level isn’t coming on to the court anyway, for me that’s very secondary. It’s not really going to make a difference if you aren’t putting your first-choice game on the court.”
Trotman split with Draper due to struggling to balance life on the ATP Tour with his family, so it is very unlikely he returns to coaching in a full-time capacity.
Jack Draper’s upcoming schedule following return to tennis
Draper is set to return to the sport for the first time in six months for Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Norway.
The British number one has had several false returns, with planned appearances at the UTS Grand Finals, the United Cup, and the Australian Open nixed.
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However, it does appear Draper is ready for a full return following his extended absence due to an arm injury.
After the Davis Cup, Draper will also play the Rotterdam Open alongside Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
No other event has been confirmed for Draper, although he will surely be looking to defend his Indian Wells crown in March.
