Britain’s rising tennis star Jack Draper admitted that tension played a part in the debilitating nausea which left him vomiting three times during his semi-final defeat at the US Open.
While Draper impressed many observers – including watching ESPN commentator John McEnroe – with his willingness to fight for every ball, his attempt to overcome world No1 Jannik Sinner was also undermined by his physical struggles.
“I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around,” said Draper after his 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 defeat.
“I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being. When you add all that together, sometimes I do feel a bit of nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough.”
Humid weather conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium contributed to the punishing nature of this contest, which found Sinner edging two long opening sets before Draper’s resistance finally crumbled in the third.
Both men’s clothing soon became sodden with sweat on this airless afternoon. Draper had to send off for new grips on his rackets because the handle kept slipping in his hand.
But it was more than just the conditions at play here, on a day when the temperature reached a warm but hardly ferocious 26 degrees Celsius. An extremely ambitious character, Draper explained that his own eagerness had worked against him.
“I’ve got quite a strong mentality,” Draper told reporters, “and I use up a lot of mental energy a lot of the time because I want it so badly. But that doesn’t necessarily help a lot of the time.
“Especially in these five-set matches, that sort of anxiety and those feelings can build up,” Draper added. “So it’s definitely something that is a real strength of mine but also a weakness, and I have to continue to work on it.”
Asked when his nausea had set in, Draper pointed to the early stages of the second set. “We had a tough opening set. I definitely felt 5-all in the first set was a big game. Then when I came out for the first game in the second set, I managed to hold him off, but was starting to not feel great in that moment.
“You just feel worse and worse, because you can’t put anything in your body. When you’re playing long matches, you need to be able to drink and to eat things and give your body the supplies it needs to keep on going. But obviously when you’re feeling sick, it just comes straight out, and it’s the worst feeling ever.”
Asked what he needs to do to make the next step in his ascent up the tennis ladder, Draper offered a simple answer: more of the same.
“I don’t think I need to do anything different,” he said. “I think it’s just a matter of time. I think I’m constantly trying to improve. I’ve got great people around me, I’m doing all the right things.
“When I came here last year I was 120 in the world, barely played the whole season. I think I’ll be leaving here this week top 20. I’m breaking new barriers down the whole time.
“With Jannik or Carlos [Alcaraz] or some of these young players, they’ve been on the tour for about three or four years now, constantly playing, constantly learning, constantly taking wins and losses and experiencing losing in the quarters or semis of a grand slam.
“This is my first proper year, I’d say, because of all my injuries and all my setbacks, so I’m a few years behind almost. I think I just need to keep on learning, keep on growing, keep on having situations like today where I came unstuck and [asking] how am I going to do it different next time?
“It is, honestly, just a matter of time. Hopefully I’ll be in these situations more often and I’m able to come through them.”
After the match, Sinner and Draper shared a dripping embrace at the net. They are firm friends, who message each other regularly, and the mutual respect was obvious as they walked off the court arm in arm.
“He’s made his breakthrough this week, playing some amazing tennis,” said Sinner of Draper after the match. “His ball-striking and choosing the right shots in the right time – there are some feelings you have with certain players, and he is one of them.
“I know that he’s potentially winning some big titles in the future.”
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