Draper to look into sickness issues

Jack Draper says he will “take a serious look” at why he has been ill during some important games.

The Briton reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open before being beaten in straight sets by world number one Jannik Sinner.

Draper vomited three times on court during his loss to the Italian and afterwards spoke of how he is “someone who is a fairly anxious human being.”

He was also ill immediately after securing victory in the first round of the Australian Open in January, which he attributed to the “psychological stress” of the situation.

“I’m definitely going to go back home… you know, this has happened to me a few times, in different situations, I’m going to really investigate it,” Draper told BBC sports correspondent Laura Scott.

“I push my body to the limit all the time in training and in my mentality. I don’t have to worry about not doing enough because I do, which indicates that a lot of my problems are mental.

“I’m going to have to work on that and understand myself better to be able to compete at these higher levels.

“I’m sure I’ll work out all these issues with my team, but yes, it’s good that it’s not quite finished yet.”

The 22-year-old left-hander was ranked 123 in the world last year but next week he will break into the top 20 for the first time.

He added: “I think working on the mental aspect of the game is very important.

“I’m definitely going to look at that side a little bit more. You know, I’m constantly working on my breathing, working on things.”

“I just want to be Jack Draper” – on comparisons with Murray

Draper has been talked about as following in the footsteps of British tennis great Andy Murray, who retired after competing at the Olympics in July and August.

The Scot won the US Open and twice claimed the Wimbledon title in a career that also saw him reach number one in the men’s rankings, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were among his rivals.

Draper, however, is keen to play down comparisons with Murray, whom he describes as “a good friend” and “someone I’m very close to”.

“I want to do what he’s done,” Draper said. “I want to be incredibly successful. But I know from my own perspective that Andy has accomplished things that are off the charts.”

“Obviously there’s a lot of narrative around me being the next Andy Murray, the next whatever.

“I just want to be Jack Draper. I want to achieve what I achieve in the game.

“My main goal is to reach my potential as a player, whatever that may be. But yes, I have great respect for Andy and everything he has achieved.”