Jack Draper consoled by coach moments after losing gruelling US Open match | Tennis | Sport

Draper’s first Grand Slam semi-final was an eventful one. The British No. 1 managed to stay with the top seed for more than two hours before falling away in the third. Mid-way through a dramatic, 87-minute second set, he vomited on court and cleaned it up himself.

But he left with nothing to show for his efforts in the score as Sinner came through in straight sets. Draper received a standing ovation as he departed Arthur Ashe Stadium, with his opponent also applauding him. But everything appeared to hit him as he had a moment to reflect in the locker room.

Behind the scenes, cameras showed the 22-year-old lying on a mat while his coach, James Trotman, and his physio, Will Herbert surrounded him. When Draper sat up, ‘Trots’ bent down to console him.

While watching the private moment, Tim Henman told Sky Sports: “Yeah it’s physical exhaustion and as we’ve all been saying, Jack gave it everything and Sinner just played the better tennis.

“If we’re going to discuss the sort of detail of the match, it was really about Sinner playing better tennis at the most important times. There was a few ebbs and flows in the first set – Jack lost his serve, Sinner then sort of dumped his serve, making four unforced errors.

“But at the end of the first set, end of the second set, it’s a lot of drama, obviously a lot of going on, but that was when when Sinner really showed his class with his ball-striking on both wings, making the rallies physical. And it was too much for Jack but Jack will learn so much about this and to be in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time is a huge stepping stone.”