- Draper hired Ferreira in April to work with James Trotman on his team
- He won his first ATP title and reached the highest ranking of his career under the regime
- The British number 1 thanked Ferreira for his change in attitude as a player
British number 1 Jack Draper confirmed his separation from coach Wayne Ferreira on the eve of the US Open.
Draper, seeded 25th and set to face China’s Zhang Zhizhen on Tuesday, hired the South African “super coach” in April to work with James Trotman.
The 22-year-old won his first ATP Tour title and reached his highest ranking of 25th place in his career under this regime.
On Saturday, he credited Ferreira for helping him become a “different player,” but Draper said he just wanted a voice in his corner.
“It was time to find out if it would really be an advantage for me to bring on board someone with great pedigree who could work with Trotts,” he said.
Jack Draper has confirmed his separation from coach Wayne Ferreira after just four months
Draper thanked Ferreira (pictured) for his change of mentality after the French Open
The British number 1 won his first ATP title under Ferriera at the Stuttgart Open in June
“It had its advantages, but I just wanted to have that one voice by my side because I feel like the more I learn, the more I play on tour, the more I understand what I need to do to become the top player I want to be.”
He added: “I’ve always been someone who likes to keep things simple. I’ve never had… two different voices and two different coaches.”
“I always wanted Trotts to take the lead in what I do. But I just felt like it wasn’t as easy as I would have liked.
“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 great. I learned a lot. He taught me a lot of valuable things. I think he’s a great guy and someone who will continue to be a friend to me.”
Draper thanked Ferreira for helping him change his mindset at a time when he feared his enormous potential was going untapped.
The split comes ahead of Draper’s first-round match at the US Open on Tuesday.
“After the French Open, my mindset changed completely. I thought I won’t be the player I want to be if I don’t really try to change,” he explained.
“I think it was a good time with Wayne – I was ready to change and he obviously wanted to make that happen, as did Trotts.”
“I am a different player and I am constantly trying to be a different player, to develop and of course to get better.”
