Jack Draper falls ill on court during US Open semi-final against Sinner
The trainer was called in the second set as Draper’s physical condition deteriorated
Jack Draper faced a major setback against Jannik Sinner in the US Open semi-final on Saturday due to physical illness.
“It's the worst feeling ever,” he said “You can't move around the court when that happens.”
Being the world’s number one, Sinner defeated Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 7.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old couldn’t manage with the high temperature, and was all sweating.
The trainer was called in the second set as Draper’s physical condition deteriorated.
While expressing his illness during the semi-final, number 25 in singles said: “I think it was obviously a very physical match,” Draper said, explaining he began to feel sick at the end of the first set. “Obviously that's why Jannik is No. 1 player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different. You know, it's a step up.
He further added: “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. 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, 22, who hadn’t lost a set in his first five matches, appeared to fade in the third set, dropping serve twice.
“You don't feel better,” Draper said of the symptoms. “You just feel worse and worse, because you can't put anything in your body. You know, like, when you're playing long matches, you need to be able to drink and to eat things to give your body the supplies it needs to keep on going.
By the end of the match, Draper congratulated the winner and was sad over his defeat in the semi-finals.
“I think it's just a matter of time,” said Draper, who was ranked outside the Top 100 last year.
In this regard, he said that he is behind Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner due to his injuries and setbacks he has faced so far.
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