When Jack Draper was preparing for his first ever grand slam semi-final at the US Open, he knew he would probably have to go through some of the most stressful, intense moments that he had ever faced on a tennis court. He probably didn’t anticipate that he would be clearing up his own vomit on Arthur Ashe Stadium court – more than once – but then maybe that’s the kind of spirit it takes to reach a first major final. If ultimately he couldn’t quite make it, thanks to the defiance and quality of the world’s top-ranked player in Jannik Sinner, then it was not for the want of trying.
Whatever he goes on to achieve in the rest of his career, no one can ever accuse him of not giving it all. To say that Draper left everything, absolutely everything on the court in his bid to reach the final, is almost an understatement. By the time the match was done, after just over three hours of brutal, intense and at times remarkably unhygienic drama, Draper was spent, hardly able to walk. And yet he also showed that he has the game to match the world’s best, on the biggest stages of all.
