Jack Draper argues with coach Wayne Ferreira as he prepares for his match against Zhang Zhizhen; Watch the US Open live from Monday on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, which is integrated into Sky TV, the streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app.
From Raz Mirza in Flushing Meadows, New York
11:05 p.m., UK, Saturday, August 24, 2024
British number 1 Jack Draper has confirmed that he has parted ways with coach Wayne Ferreira ahead of the US Open.
Draper starts his US Open campaign on Tuesday against China’s Zhang Zhizhen – live on Sky Sports Tennis.
He comes into the tournament after a promising run to the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open last week, but will play in New York after dropping Ferreira from his training staff after just four months together.
The 22-year-old, who showed he is a threat on American hard courts with an impressive run to the fourth round last year, will once again work exclusively with James Trotman.
“Wayne’s arrival was obviously a good decision because of his value as a coach and his experience as a player, but I’ve always been a player who likes to keep things simple,” Draper said during his press conference at Flushing Meadows.
“I’ve never had a team dynamic like that where I have two different voices and two different coaches and I always wanted Trots to be the one to run what I do. I just felt like it wasn’t as easy as I would have liked and I wanted a voice on my team and I think it was probably the right thing to part ways with Wayne and keep it the way I want it as a player.
“Other than that, my time with Wayne was incredible, I learned a lot. He taught me a lot of valuable things. I think he’s an incredible guy and one that I’ll continue to have as a friend.”
A look back at the story of Draper’s sensational victory at the Stuttgart Open
Ferreira’s results with Draper were positive: the young Brit defeated Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s before taking the title at the Stuttgart Open and shooting up the rankings during their short time together.
“It was partly because of Wayne’s view of my game, but partly because I’ve had some tough losses, experiences where I was down 7-6 in the third set and I didn’t let my opponent get away with it,” Draper said.
“After the French Open, my attitude changed completely. I now believe that I will not be the player I want to be if I don’t really try to change. It’s all well and good when someone tells you that you have to change – you have to change yourself.
“I think it was a good time with Wayne. I’m a different player and I’m constantly trying to be a different player to continue to develop and get better as a player.”
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