Jack Draper receives sympathy from Martina Navratilova after agonising US Open exit - 'It was rough'

Yet that didn't happen, with Sinner beating Draper 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 to boost his own chances of glory.

During the showdown, Draper was overcome with sickness. The tennis star threw up three times, with the 22-year-old citing anxiety as a reason.

And Navratilova has now sympathised with the US Open semi-finalist while backing him to bounce back in the future.

"It was rough he couldn't compete at his top physical level, because of everything going on in his stomach and his brain," the tennis legend told Sky Sports.

"But he still kept it together, and he was in there. Jack gave it absolutely his all, and then some.

"He looks so calm when he's playing. He's been unbelievably calm. Talking to us, he's so relaxed.

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"The anxiety, he's got to let that out somehow, as it's maybe eating him up and getting to him.

"Something has to give here, but we don't see it when he's playing. He internalises it that much."

Navratilova also believes Draper is capable of winning a major in 2025, having gone so close this time around.

"I remember playing the first time against Chris [Evert] and Margaret Court, everything was hit a little bit harder, a little bit deeper, a little bit closer to the sideline," she said.

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"I had to run more. The drop shots were shorter. Everything was better.

"It's cumulative, on this court when it's so physical. But it just caught up with him [Draper].

"Next year, if he stays healthy, Jack will be in the conversation in every major. That's a really big plus.

"If he keeps playing like this the sky is the limit."

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Draper, meanwhile, has vowed to work on his anxiety and feels Grand Slam glory is only a 'matter of time'.

His performances at Flushing Meadows are proof that he really is the heir to Murray's throne.

And Draper is set do everything in his power as he looks to etch his name into tennis folklore.

“The thing helping me this year and helping me to feel better in general is the more experiences you have of situations, the easier things become,” he said.

“You just take it all in your stride. Tennis, especially, or just any sport is hugely mental and physical.

“I try my best all the time to keep on evolving, to keep on learning, and it’s definitely something I’ve had to just work through my whole entire life.

“I think I’ve got quite a strong mentality but I use up a lot of mental energy a lot of the time because I want it so badly.

“Obviously that doesn’t necessarily help a lot of the times, especially in these five-set matches and that sort of anxiety and those feelings can build up. So it’s definitely just something that, you know, is a real strength of mine but also a weakness, and I have to continue to work on it."