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Jack Draper said it was the “worst feeling ever” after being sick four times on court as his US Open dream ended in semi-final heartbreak.
The British number one enjoyed an incredible run in New York and had big hopes of emulating Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu by winning the title.
But his anxiety in a high-pressure occasion cost him dearly as he was sick throughout the match and fell short in a 7-5 7-6 (3) 6-2 loss to world number one Jannik Sinner.
“I think obviously it’s a big occasion for me,” Draper said. “I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around.
“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.
“I didn’t have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”
He continued: “Being sick doesn’t help. 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 and stuff like that, you can’t put anything inside your body, because it just comes straight out, and it’s the worst feeling ever.
“You can’t move around the court when that happens.
“So no, it’s a horrible feeling, and you feel more dizzy and more sick the more you are.”
It did not help that he was playing the world number one, who stepped up his level in the key moments.
Sinner came into the tournament under a cloud following his anti-doping scandal, where he avoided a ban despite two positive tests earlier in the year, but has proved his tough mentality to power through to a first final at Flushing Meadows.
He faced his biggest test yet against Draper, but won all the big moments and is now the clear favourite to win a first US Open title on Sunday.
Sinner said: “Obviously it’s tough for Jack, for sure.
“Semis, they are a bit different to play, and in grand slams, finals are a bit different. You feel a lot of tension. It’s a bit different.
“But it was nice to share the court with him. Hopefully we have some more battles in the future, which I’m quite sure about that.
“He’s made his breakthrough this week a little bit, playing some amazing tennis, serving very well. Physically he has improved a lot.
“So he’s going to be very tough to beat in the future, for sure. I’m happy for him.”
