Murray, 39, coached Novak Djokovic for six months last year and recently announced he would be teaming up with Draper ahead of Wimbledon.Former Indian Wells winner and US Open semi-finalist Draper has withdrawn from the French Open, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max, leaving Norrie to take the mantle and spearhead British interest.
He will face Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who is making his Grand Slam debut, in the first round, with potential clashes with 16th seed Valentin Vacherot and fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on the horizon.
In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Norrie shared his thoughts on Draper and Murray’s partnership as well as how he has tweaked his mindset to revitalise his career.
He said: ”I was not surprised. I knew they had a great relationship and Andy rates him and thinks he’s so good, so I’m happy for them, and I’m excited to see Andy on the tour.
”I really like to see him back, and I know how much he loves tennis. It will be probably tough for his handicap in golf to be back on the tour. He’s not going to be able to play as much!
”But I think he’s got so much experience, so many big matches he played, and he was world No.1.
”Amazing for Jack, amazing for Andy, and I’m not surprised, and good pick I will say.
”I would love to have him, but I’m really set with my two coaches, but I just love to spend time with Andy in general.
”I’m always asking him questions, he’s so funny, so I’ve got a lot of time for Andy. I’m happy to be spending time around him and talking to him so of course, I would like that.”
‘We’re going in the right direction’
Norrie rose as high as eighth in the world in 2022 thanks to his Indian Wells triumph the previous year, and a run to Wimbledon’s semi-final – his best Grand Slam performance to date.
However, last May, a combination of injuries and bad form saw him tumble down to 91st in the world, his lowest ranking for six years.
Since then, thanks to strong performances at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon last year, he broke back into the top 20 for the first time since the start of 2024. He is currently ranked 22nd.
Norrie pointed to this run as the catalyst for his renaissance, saying a renewed focus on enjoyment – rather than rankings – helped recover his form.
He said: ”I put a lot of pressure on myself because I felt I deserved to be in a certain place, which was tough, and then I took that step back and started really enjoying my tennis.
”I was in a unique position to know I’m a good player and to back myself, and I was not playing for other reasons rather than to go out and enjoy my tennis.
”I made a good honest decision to do that and then, boom. I made the semis of Geneva and then the fourth round of the French Open and that really kick-started my year, so I want to continue with that. We’re going in the right direction.
”In this sport you need to be completely patient and ready to take the opportunities, so I’m really just looking forward to doing that and continuing in the same way that I’ve been doing all year.
”Obviously, I’d rather have a few deeper runs, but I want to continue giving myself the best chance for those.”
‘Your body can pay the price’
At 30, Norrie still harbours hopes of breaking back into the world top 10 and winning a Grand Slam for the first time.
A forearm injury caused him to miss the latter half of the 2024 season, causing him to tumble down the rankings, losing his title as British men’s No. 1.
Norrie has credited his change in mindset to his resurgence in form, but also points towards his abnormally high lung capacity and cardiovascular health.
He said: ”I’d say my body’s the best it’s been. I think it’s a lot to do with genetics, I think that’s also one thing I’m quite fortunate with.
”Secondly, working a lot day in, day out and a lot of credit to my team Vasek Jursik and Emeric Rubin. I will listen to them all the time and never think that I’m right.
”I honestly think thirdly is your mental well-being. A couple times I was a bit stressed with some stuff, and then the next moment I had some pain in my knees and some tendon problems.
”I think genuinely if you’re managing your life and doing good things then I think that the toll on your body is less.
”If you’re constantly stressed for rankings or stressed for something else in your personal life, it can pay a big toll on your body and your body can pay the price, especially with how relentless the tennis schedule is.”
Heated scenes as umpire separates Sakamoto & Martinez
Video credit: TNT Sports
Norrie also shed light on how having a close-knit team around him has helped him ignore outside noise.
He said: ”There’s always going to be someone that’s an expert in telling you what you need to do better.
”The biggest thing is having people that you trust and you can tell them everything and not trying to fake anything.
”I think when they tell you something and you know it’s the truth then I think that’s worth a lot more.
”If it’s someone random on Instagram or some random family member telling you to use the drop shot more or use this more, you laugh it off.
”You need to really think it’s never as good as you think and it’s never as bad as you think. It’s always tougher when it’s you.”
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