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Poor Jack Draper. As the British No. 1 lay awake in his New York hotel room the night before his first Grand Slam semi-final, he could not have imagined that his magnificent run at the US Open would come to an end as he mopped up his own vomit on court. In a brutal contest against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Draper vomited four times and was completely exhausted at the end of a grueling three-hour battle. Sinner emerged with a 7-5 7-6 (3) 6-2 victory to reach his second Grand Slam final of the season and his first in New York, but only after being put under pressure by Draper the entire time.
That makes the loss all the more heartbreaking for the 22-year-old. Draper was evenly matched with Sinner for much of the first two sets, but the Italian, who won the Australian Open earlier this year and moved to the top of the world rankings, was able to raise his game when it mattered. It’s hugely encouraging that Draper didn’t feel out of place battling the world’s best on one of the sport’s biggest stages, and there were enough indications to suggest that this won’t be his last appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final.
His first match, however, will surely be remembered for the dramatic scenes that unfolded midway through the second set – which was extremely unfortunate for Draper, who was struggling with the immense stress of the biggest match of his life and the oppressive heat and humidity of the New York afternoon. After consuming a considerable amount of liquid to rehydrate between agonisingly long service games, Draper vomited it back up behind the baseline; the British No. 1 then cleaned up the mess himself before being reprimanded by the umpire after putting his towel back in his towel box.
Draper, who was also ill at the end of his first-round win at the Australian Open earlier this year, said anxiety played a role. “I think it’s obviously a big occasion for me,” he explained afterward. “I definitely felt more excited, even though I normally feel quite relaxed, and was a little more nervous today. I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious person. I think when you put all that together, I sometimes feel a little nauseous on court and a little bit sick when things get tough. I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”
“Being sick doesn’t help. You just feel worse and worse because you can’t eat anything. When you play long games you need to be able to drink and eat and give your body the supplies it needs to keep going. But of course when you’re sick or something you can’t eat anything because it just comes out again and that’s the worst feeling ever. When that happens you can’t move on the pitch. It’s a terrible feeling and the longer you are out the more dizzy and nauseous you get.”
Draper has worked hard on his physical condition this season and believes his run at the US Open is a testament to his progress. But facing an opponent like Sinner in a Grand Slam semi-final brought a whole new level of intensity, both physically and emotionally. Draper didn’t seem to show any nerves from the start and the first set ended with just a couple of points tied at 5-5. However, the 22-year-old made several double faults and struggled to grip his racket as he sweated in the sweltering temperatures. Draper himself admits that he shows “great weakness” on the court and he had to wear extra shirts and shoes.
Draper continued to fight even as he felt unwell. The 25th seed fended off break points in three straight games at the start of the second set, using effective serve-and-volley play and showing impressive ball control at the net. He also managed to fend off Sinner’s clean ball strike from the baseline. The decisive moment of the match provided another dramatic moment when Sinner fell and landed on his left wrist after blocking a jab from Draper along the line. The 23-year-old took a medical timeout for treatment and was later seen with his wrist wrapped in ice. That remains a cause for concern ahead of Sunday’s final, in which Sinner will play Taylor Fritz.
But for a moment, semifinal victory seemed uncertain as both Draper and Sinner received medical attention simultaneously. But Sinner stepped up a gear and won the tiebreak, claiming the early break in the third set and ending the rest of the battle in Draper, whose request for a can of Coke to be brought onto the court was granted but came too late to help his physical condition. And while Draper will take plenty of encouragement from his US Open run, it’s clear what area of his game he must master next if he is to get through this stage again: coping with the physical and mental demands of Grand Slams while facing the very best in the world. It’s a credit to Draper that he was open and honest about the process he’s going through.
“I keep getting more experience,” Draper said. “That’s the one thing that’s helped me this year and helped me feel better in general. The more experience you have with situations, the easier things get. (But) it’s difficult: We all have things that we’re working on all the time. Tennis is a very mental and physical thing. I’m doing my best all the time to keep developing, to keep learning, and that’s something I’ve had to work on my whole life. I think I have a strong mentality, (but) I use a lot of mental energy because I want it so bad. That doesn’t necessarily always help, especially in these best-of-five matches. That kind of anxiety and those feelings can build up. So it’s a real strength of mine, but it’s also a weakness, and I have to keep working on it.”
