When we hoped Jack Draper could reproduce the spirit of 2024 here in New York, this is not quite what we had in mind.
Last year the British No 1 reached the semi-finals, losing to Jannik Sinner in a bizarre match which saw him vomiting all over the court.
And it was deja vu in the first round, as a visibly wilting Draper deposited his breakfast on the Louis Armstrong court. The difference is, this time he was playing world No 127 Federico Gomez rather than the best player on the planet, and so was able to lurch through in four sets —prevailing 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2.
But as an opening to his US Open campaign, it was far from auspicious. Draper launched an internal inquest into his tummy troubles last year, and at Christmas he told us he believed it had been a result of paracetamol churning his insides. Tim Henman, on Sky commentary, gave a different diagnosis this time: ‘Anxiety is something Jack has battled with and is working on.’
Regardless of how much was down to anxiety, how much to the heat — Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca also vomited on a 29°C day here in Flushing Meadows — the world No 5 really was struggling. If he had lost the fourth set, this could have become very awkward indeed but he is through to face Belgian Zizou Bergs.
Draper’s physical struggles can probably be put down to not having played a competitive singles match since Wimbledon. That enforced break came as he nursed bone bruising in his left arm and he admitted before this event he was not completely pain-free.
Jack Draper suffered with sickness again in his victory against Federico Gomez at the US Open
Draper managed to prevail with a 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 victory against Federico Agustin
Gomez produced some blinding shotmaking in the third set but Draper still secured victory
He was wearing a black compression sleeve and his serve speed was well down. His first-serve average here last year was around 115mph in each match; against Gomez that figure was down at 109mph — and trending lower as the match progressed.
Gomez, 28, spent three years as a coach and was driven to suicidal thoughts by his failure to crack professional tennis, before a late bloom this season. He produced some blinding shotmaking in the third set but Draper is a man for whom even when the flesh is weak, the mind is willing and he toughed it out — putting his guts on the court in more ways than one. He is into the second round, joining Cam Norrie who had a far easier time of things as his opponent Seb Korda retired when trailing 7-5, 6-4.Next up for Norrie is Argentine Francisco Comesana.
