Jack Draper produced a stunning five-set win at the Australian Open... before throwing up in a bin moments after his victory.
The Brit was facing an early exit at Melbourne Park when Marcos Giron to a two sets to one lead, only for Draper to flick a switch and win the next two, eventually seeing off the American 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2. The pair shook hands at the net before Draper dashed off to vomit.
The 22-year-old had never previously played a match that went the distance and it took him several minutes before he was able to leave the court. His match lasted three hours and 20 minutes. Draper is now into the second round of the Australian Open for the first time.
“I don't usually get sick, not ever,” he admitted. “I think it's weird. It was obviously a physical match. It's tough conditions. It wasn't that long for a five-set match. I played three hours, 40 last week in hotter conditions, and I was physically absolutely fine.
"I think it's obviously a Grand Slam. It's tougher sort of with the tension to play that first match. I was obviously unsure of the way I would be playing because of the different conditions. I think I'm still a young player, so getting used to the environment around these Slams and the tension is difficult.
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"I think it was more kind of psychological stress today that was causing my sort of fatigue rather than the physical nature because I felt better in the fifth set than I did the first.
“Was it a puke of relief? Yeah. I obviously played such a long point, maybe it was sort of a reaction to finally getting over the line. I don't know. I kind of felt bad because I obviously just beat the guy, and I was saying: ‘I need to shake your hand, mate, but I need to get to that bin’.”
The young Brit struggled physically throughout his matchThe World No 55 is looking to build on his last Grand Slam outing, which saw him make the fourth round at the US Open, which is a career best thus far. The conditions in Australian can take their toll and Draper clearly fell foul of that after his win on Tuesday morning.
The Brit was evidently in some discomfort throughout his match in Melbourne. He needed to call upon the physio after the second set and had his blood pressure checked, and then double faulted to be broken in the third after the match resumed.
Draper is the fourth highest ranked Brit but already he's seen some of his compatriots exit the tournament. Cam Norrie made light work of his encounter but Andy Murray suffered a straight sets defeat in his first round match and immediately cast doubt over his future.
Jack Draper (GBR) being sick in a bin immediately after winning his first round match (James Gourley/REX/Shutterstock)He said: "I won't win many matches playing that way. It's a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here." Murray continued: "Whilst you're playing the match, you're obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything.
"When you're one point away from the end, you're like, 'I can't believe this is over so quickly, and like this'. I was disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff. It was a tough, tough way to finish."
The three-time Grand Slam champion also added: "I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish playing. So much of that depends on how you're playing. The timeframe for that narrows when you play and have results like today.
"I know that Tomas is a really, really good player. I'm aware of that. Even if I play well today, I can still lose the match. It's just the nature of the performance that makes you question things."
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