Jack Draper played the biggest tennis match of his tennis career at the 2024 US Open, but it didn't go as he would have imagined, as he struggled physically.
Entering the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday evening, the British player competed in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in his tennis career. On the other hand, looking across the net, he could see the reigning World No. 1 player on the ATP Tour, Jannik Sinner.
The Italian already has a major title in his collection and played in numerous Grand Slam semi-finals. His experience is much bigger compared to that of Draper and it showed also during the match.
While the British player could be competitive in the first set of the match, which he lost 5-7, he started to visibly struggle during the second set of the match. At one point, he even got sick on the tennis court, showing how much the match took out of him.
Ultimately, Sinner was the better player on Friday evening, as he won the match in three sets, stopping Draper's inspired run at the 2024 US Open.
After the match, the British player spoke about his health issues. Although Sinner might have been too difficult of an opponent to overcome regardless, not being 100% fit certainly contributed to Draper's loss.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously it was extremely humid today. Hasn't been pretty much the whole week as of yet. You know, I think it was obviously a very physical match."
While mentioning the challenging conditions, Draper also gave credit to his opponent, saying that it's because of Sinner's quality that he had to expand so much energy that he eventually got sick.
"Obviously that's why Jannik is the No. 1 player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different. You know, it's a step up."
On top of that, playing in a major semi-final was a completely new experience for the Brit, and he had to deal with pressure of playing such a big match, which he also struggled with.
"I think obviously it's a big occasion for me. I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around."
The World No. 25, who is set to rise to the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, admitted that he's usually quite anxious, which certainly contributed to how he felt on the court during the semi-final loss.
"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."
Eventually, even though he lost and felt sick during the match, playing in the Grand Slam semi-final will be only a positive experience for Draper, who will get a chance to build on it and the next time he plays such a match, he will be able to deal with it better.
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