Jack Draper put his on-court sickness against Jannik Sinner down to nerves as his brilliant run at the US Open came to an end.
The 22-year-old one had never previously made it beyond the fourth round at a Grand Slam, but he won 15 sets in a row on his way to reaching the semi-finals and setting up a clash against the world number one.
It proved to be a dramatic encounter, one that Sinner won 7-5 7-6 6-2 in just over three hours, as both players were forced to contend with issues.
Sinner required treatment on his wrist after falling mid-point, despite quickly getting back up and producing a stunning winner to end potentially the best point of the tournament.
Draper, meanwhile, was sweating significantly almost from the first point, and had to clean up his own vomit on the baseline in the second set after twice throwing up between points.
He appeared exhausted as Sinner took the second set tie-break, and Draper had little left to give in the third even as he did battle on resolutely, falling just short of becoming the third British man in the Open Era to reach the final in New York.
While Draper described conditions as “extremely humid”, he suggested the semi-final stage was the key factor in his sickness problems.
“I think obviously it's a big occasion for me,” Draper said.
“I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around. I'm definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being.
“I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough. Yeah, I didn't have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up.”
