“It’s a horrible feeling”: Inside Jack Draper’s on-court illness, vomiting at 2024 US Open

NEW YORK —Jack Draper saw the biggest match of his young career dampened by physical illness and repeated vomiting episodes that contributed to his semifinal defeat at the 2024 US Open.

“It's the worst feeling ever,” . “You can't move around the court when that happens.”

Playing in uncomfortable conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Draper struggled with the humidity, sweating through his shoes and getting sick multiple times before calling the trainer for a medical timeout in the second set.

“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.

“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.”

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. But obviously when you're feeling sick...you can't put anything inside your body, because it just comes straight out. Jack Draper

After losing two close sets to his former junior rival turned reigning Australian Open champion, Draper, who hadn’t lost a set in his first five matches, appeared to fade in the third set, dropping serve twice to put Sinner into his first US Open final.

“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.

“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…it's a horrible feeling, and you feel more dizzy and more sick the more you are.”

Crediting Sinner’s experience with carrying him to victory, the 22-year-old Draper was optimistic that he would have more chances after his career-best Grand Slam finish, one that will likely help him crack the Top 20 in next week’s ATP rankings.

“I think it's just a matter of time,” said Draper, who was ranked outside the Top 100 last year.

“It's more just keep on doing what I'm doing. Experience for someone like Jannik or Carlos [Alcaraz] or some of these young players, you know, 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, you know, how am I going to do it different next time and all these types of things.”