By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 6, 2024
Photo: Garrett Ellwood/US Open/USTA
NEW YORK – In his first major semifinal, a speck Jack Draper missed lunch at court.
Draper’s appetite for great achievement remains undiminished.
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Draper, 25, vomited on the court several times during a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 US Open semifinal loss to Jannik the Sinner today.
World No. 1 Sinner made history as the first Italian to reach the US Open final.
Afterwards, Australian Open champion Sinner said Draper, his doubles partner at the Canadian Open, could compete for majors in the future.
“I mean his ball hits and he picks the right shots at the right time. You know, there’s certain feelings you get with certain players, and he’s one of them, I like it,” Sinner said. “Everyone has their own time, way and path.
“But I am very confident because I know he can win some big titles in the future because he is a difficult player to play against, he has a great attitude on the pitch, he is working hard. It’s all these things together that, yeah, that’s great to see, isn’t it?”
A year ago, Draper was ranked 123rd when he arrived in New York and struggled in the fourth round of the US Open.
An inspired Draper did not drop a set en route to his first major semi-final at this US Open.
While Draper succumbed to Sinner and illness tonight, he believes he is on track to challenge for a Grand Slam title as he gains more experience.
“I honestly think, I don’t think I have to do anything different. I think it’s just a matter of time,” Draper told the media. “You know, I think I’m constantly trying to get better. I’ve got great people around me, I’m doing all the right things.
“Like I said yesterday, when I came here last year, I was 120 in the world, I barely played all season. You know, I think I’m going to leave here this week in the top 20. You know, as I’ve continued to achieve, You know, things that I’m breaking new barriers all the time about what I think is possible.”
25th-ranked Draper, who beat Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club last June, rises to a career-high 20th after this remarkable US Open and believes the best is yet to come.
“I don’t think anything is just going to be, oh, I have to do this and this is going to help. I think it’s more just keep doing what I’m doing,” Draper said. “The experience for someone like Jannik or Carlos 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 getting wins and losses and experiencing losses in quarters. or half of a Grand Slam.
“This is my first proper year, I would say, because of all the injuries and all my setbacks, so I’m almost a few years behind.”
