Jack Draper knew what it probably looked like for viewers watching either at Arthur Ashe Stadium or at home, but he wasn’t going to retire in his U.S. Open semifinal match against No. 1 Jannik Sinner — even after vomiting three times, according to Reuters.
One of those instances occurred during the second set, with Draper, seeded No. 25 in the final Grand Slam of the calendar year, holding a narrow one-game lead over Sinner.
Before Sinner served at 40-all, Draper vomited behind the baseline, went over to grab a towel and attempted to wipe it up — later attributing it to being “extremely humid” and anxiety, which all combined together and made him appear physically drained throughout the match.
“I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around,” Draper told reporters after his 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 loss to Sinner on Friday. “I’m definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being. I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough. Yeah, I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.
Draper, the fast-rising 22-year-old British star who hadn’t lost a set in the Open before Friday, said he felt “worse and worse” after vomiting, since he couldn’t consume any food or drink to replenish his energy during the match.
“Obviously when you’re feeling sick and stuff like that, you can’t put anything inside your body,” Draper told reporters, “because it just comes straight out, and it’s the worst feeling ever. You can’t move around the court when that happens.”
Still, Draper managed to get the second set to a tiebreak before Sinner pulled away by taking a 2-0 lead and then cruising in the third.
U.S. Open semifinal match. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Draper also dealt with anxiety throughout the match, including during their game at 5-5 in the opening set, he said.
He wasn’t feeling well by the start of the second set, either, when he held off Sinner’s attempt to steal an early break point in the first game.
“I use up a lot of mental energy a lot of the time because I want it so badly,” Draper told reporters. “But obviously that doesn’t necessarily help a lot of the times, especially in these five-set matches and that sort of anxiety and those feelings can build up.
“So it’s definitely just something that, you know, is a real strength of mine but also a weakness, and I have to continue to work on it.”
So Sinner will face No. 12 Taylor Fritz on Sunday in the men’s final, after Fritz defeated No. 20 Tiafoe in an all-American semifinal by taking the final two sets.
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