Draper's first Grand Slam semi-final was an eventful one. The British No. 1 managed to hold on to the top spot for more than two hours before crashing out in the third. Halfway through a dramatic 87-minute second set, he vomited on the court and cleaned it up himself.
But he left with nothing to show for his efforts in the score as Sinner went through in straight sets. Draper received a standing ovation as he left Arthur Ashe Stadium and his opponent also applauded him. But it all seemed to have gotten to him as he had time to reflect in the locker room.
Backstage, cameras showed the 22-year-old lying on the mat as his trainer James Trotman and physiotherapist Will Herbert surrounded him. As Draper sat up, “Trots” leaned over to console him.
Watching the private moment, Tim Henman told Sky Sports: “Yes, it's physical exhaustion and, as we all said, Jack gave it his all and Sinner just played better.”
“If we talk about the details of the match, it was really about Sinner playing better tennis at the most important moments. The first set was a few ups and downs – Jack lost serve, then Sinner kind of dropped serve, making four unforced errors.
“But at the end of the first set, at the end of the second set, there was a lot of drama, obviously a lot going on, but that's when Sinner really showed his class, playing the ball on both sides, making the rallies physical. And it was too much for Jack, but Jack will learn a lot and to be in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time is a huge stepping stone.”
Draper then headed to the exercise bike to cool down while his coaching team stared at their phones. And Sinner's girlfriend, WTA No. 15 Anna Kalinskaya, dropped by for a chat while waiting for her partner to join them in the gym.
The world number one paid tribute to the British number one after Draper left the court. Addressing the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, he said: “First of all, me and Jack, we know each other very well. We are good friends off the court. It was a very physical match, as we can see. I just tried to stay there mentally.”
“It's very hard to beat. It's a very special event, thank you to everyone who came. The support was amazing and I'm just happy to be here in the final.”