Earlier this year, the British sensation, Jack Draper, made a stunning move by hiring a ‘super coach’ in the form of Wayne Ferreira. The two joined hands in May end after Draper wasn’t having the best of time on the court. However, adding Ferreira to his team changed the fortunes of the 22-year-old instantly, as he went on to win the title in Stuttgart, defeating players like Frances Tiafoe and Matteo Berrettini en route. Interestingly, Draper’s win over Tiafoe built an interesting scenario relating to Ferreira.

The 53-year-old super coach was a part of Tiafoe’s team from 2020 to 2023 and had a great impact on the American star. Tiafoe enjoyed some of the best years of his career under him. Statistically speaking, Tiafoe was languishing in the 80s in the ATP rankings when the two joined forces back in 2023. However, after Ferreira joined his coaching staff, he had a steady rise and even reached the top 10 in the world rankings.

However, things started deteriorating after Tiafoe had a rough 2023 season. He won just two titles last year in Stuttgart and Houston, a significantly low return for a player of his caliber. Additionally, he had a series of early exits from the tournaments toward the end of the season following which he announced a split with Ferreira.

“Just wanted to say thanks to this guy. Three years shared together… SHEESH we had a ton of success. But sadly we’ve decided to part ways. Thanks for getting me to the player I am today. Nothing but love and respect for you. My guy Wayne Ferreira,” Tiafoe said as the two parted ways.

Tiafoe’s loss is Draper’s gain, as the latter has been in good form lately with Ferreira on his side. The South African coach has already set high standards for Draper and asked him to be more aggressive.

Jack Draper reveals the first message from his new coach

The British sensation is enjoying the best phase of his career and had an explosive start to the grass-court season, winning the Stuttgart Open title. Additionally, he has had some big wins over the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas this year.

One of the major changes in Draper’s game since he joined hands with Ferreira has been his more aggressive nature of play. This request came from the coach himself, it was the first advice that he gave to Draper.

During an interview with Tennis Channel earlier this year, Draper said, “His message to me is that he has got to be more aggressive, to take more risk, and be the one to force the play. At the end of the day, I think tennis is going in that way where everyone is a lot more aggressive now. He’s a huge add-on to my team and I’m really excited with what’s to come with him.”

In the ongoing Cincinnati Masters, Draper is into the pre-quarterfinals after a big win over Tsitsipas, the ninth seed there. Now, he will take on the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last 16. How far do you think the Brit can go in the tournament? Share your thoughts in the comments below.