Jack Draper says he is “going to really look into” the reason why he has been sick during some major matches.
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 defeat by the Italian and, afterwards, talked about how he is “someone who is quite an anxious human being”.
He was also sick immediately after securing victory in the Australian Open first round back in January, putting that down to the “psychological stress” of the situation.
“I’m definitely going to go home… you know, this has happened a few times now, in different situations for me, I’m going to really look into it,” Draper told BBC sports news correspondent Laura Scott.
“I push my body to the limit all the time in training and in my mindset. I don’t have to worry about sort of not doing enough because I am, which points to the fact that a lot of issues I have are mental.
“I am going to have to work on that and really understand myself better in order to compete at these highest levels.
“I’m sure I’ll figure out all these problems with my team, but yeah, it’s good that I’m sort of not the finished article yet.”
The 22-year-old left hander was ranked 123rd in the world this time last year but will become a top-20 player for the first time next week.
He added: “I think working on the mental side of the game is a huge thing.
“I’ll definitely just look into 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 Murray comparisons
Draper has been talked about as following in the footsteps of British tennis great Andy Murray, who retired after competing in the Olympics in July and August.
The Scot won the US Open as well as claiming the Wimbledon title twice in a career in which he also reached number one in the men’s rankings, at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were among his rivals.
Draper, though, is keen to play down comparisons with Murray, who he describes as “a good friend” and, “someone who I’m very close to”.
“I want to do what he’s done,” said Draper. “I want to be incredibly successful. However, I do know, in my own perspective, that Andy’s achieved things which are off the charts.
“There’s obviously 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 number one goal is to reach my potential as a player, whatever that looks like. But, yes, huge respect for Andy and all he’s achieved.”
Source Agencies
