Britain’s Jack Draper vomits courtside following

The Melbourne heat almost claimed it’s first victim of the 2024 Australian Open with a British star surviving a gruelling contest.

Jack Draper vomits after AO battle

The Melbourne heat almost claimed it’s first Australian Open victim on Tuesday.

British star Jack Draper survived a gruelling five-set battle against American Marcus Giron, claiming the victory 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2.

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But as the battle dragged on, the British star struggled as the heat at Melbourne Park hit 31-degrees.

Draper received medical attention in the middle of the match before things took a drastic turn after he secured the win.

After a perfectly placed forehand winner, Draper stood hunched over at the net as he waited to shake hands with Giron.

As soon as the two men shook the 22-year-old made a beeline for the sidelines as he stood over a courtside bin and threw up into it.

TV cameras quickly cut away from Draper to the crowd, who watched in a mixture of shock and concern as the Brit recovered.

Jack Draper vomits after AO battle

“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’,” said Draper.

He attributed his problems to anxiety and stress in pressure situations.

“For me, it feels like my breathing starts to really struggle, and I can’t get the oxygen in me,” he said.

“You are not only playing the guy, you are almost competing against yourself because you’re not obviously feeling 100 per cent.

“That’s something I’m going to have to speak to someone about and try and sort of figure out methods in those situations – because it will happen again for sure – to try to calm me down.”

Draper gets checked out by medical staff. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

He added that having his blood pressure taken mid-match was because his chest felt tight.

“It (pain) was referring to my back, and I just felt I couldn’t really hold myself up. I think that’s what stress does to you,” he said, adding that similar situations had occurred before.

“Always first round you feel a little bit more out of breath. It’s obviously because of the tension. I think that’s most players. I had it in Miami when I collapsed a few years ago.

“Obviously that shows the improvement that I’m able to kind of take more suffering and deal with it (now).”

Draper will face American 14th seed Tommy Paul in the second round.

– with AFP