“Jack and his team are working hard to get him fit”: Draper pushes through US Open illness to lead GB in Davis Cup

Jack Draper has decided to compete in the Davis Cup despite his recent bouts of vomiting during the US Open. The British No. 1 had his best Grand Slam performance to date, reaching the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, where he eventually lost to World No. 1 and eventual champion, Jannik Sinner.

Nevertheless, Draper can draw plenty of positives from his performance, having broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career this Monday. During his semi-final clash with Sinner, the Brit gave the Italian a strong fight through the first two sets but struggled physically as the match wore on. The 22-year-old vomited three times on court and finished the match visibly exhausted.

Given his physical struggles, questions arose regarding his availability for the Davis Cup. Great Britain is set to host Group D of the Finals in London, sharing the group with Argentina, Canada, and Finland. Draper will lead the British team in singles, alongside Billy Harris, Dan Evans, and doubles specialists Henry Patten and Neal Skupski.

“After a short turnaround following the US Open, Jack will be joining the team in Manchester on Tuesday ahead of the first match on Wednesday,” Draper’s agent recently stated. “Jack and his team are working hard to get him fit, and Leon [Smith] will take this into account when making his team selection.”

Draper’s run to the semi-finals marked his first deep run in a Grand Slam main draw. Despite his physical struggles in the last match, the Brit showed his fighting spirit by refusing to retire: “I'm not going to retire in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam. I know the last set probably looked bad from courtside or on TV, but I was fighting hard. I’m proud of myself for that. I tried to fight as hard as I could, but it wasn’t enough against someone like that,” the World No. 20 said.

“I just need to keep learning, keep growing, and keep finding myself in situations like today where things didn’t go my way,” Draper added. “It’s all about experience, doing the right things, training consistently, and in time, you progress, get stronger, and improve,” he concluded.