Aryna Sabalenka's press conference following her win over Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open.

Jack Draper's press conference following his loss to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the 2024 US Open.nnQuestion :nJack, if you would, your thoughts on the match?nnJack Draper :nYeah, I mean, I thought it was a decent level from both of us, especially the first two sets. Very physical, I think, the first couple of sets were about 2 hours 15. And it was tough having both of them not go my way.nBut yeah, I thought obviously Jannik, again, plays at such a high level all the time, had chances here and there and I didn't take them. And obviously, when you play the best players in the world, you need to do that. And yeah, I obviously wasn't feeling my best and struggled at certain periods of the match, especially towards the end.nBut, you know, Jannik beat me fair and square. He was too strong for me today.nnQuestion :nSimon from Telegraph. Can you tell us if you came in feeling any stomach issues or was it the nausea just to do with the humidity?nnDraper :nYeah, I mean, I obviously was extremely humid today. Hasn't been pretty much the whole week as of yet. You know, I think, you know, it's obviously a very physical match.nObviously, that's why Jannik is number one player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different. You know, it's a step up. You know, and I think obviously it's a big occasion for me.nYou know, I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt a little bit more excited today, you know, a few more nerves around. And, you know, I'm definitely someone who's, you know, I think quite an anxious human being. So I think, you know, when you add all that together, sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough.nSo, yeah, I didn't have any problems before the match, but it obviously just built up. nnQuestion :nNeil McClellan from the Mirror. Do you actually feel better when you threw up on the court? How close were you to retiring?nnDraper :nNo, you don't. You don't feel better. You just, you feel worse and worse because you can't put anything in your body.nYou know, like when you're playing long matches, you need to be able to drink and to eat things and to, you know, give your body the supplies it needs to keep on going. But obviously when you're feeling sick and stuff like that, you can't put anything inside your body because it just comes straight out and it's the worst feeling ever. You can't move around the court when that happens.nSo, no, it's a horrible feeling and you just feel more dizzy and more sick the more you are. Sorry, don't talk about retiring. Oh, sorry.nNo, no, no. I'm not going to retire in the semis of a Grand Slam. I tried to, I know the last set, you know, I probably looked like from courtside or on TV that it was, you know, not a great look.nBut, you know, at the end of the day, I always try and give my best. You know, the second set I was feeling not too great and, you know, I still pushed it to a tie break and I was just, I was fighting hard. You know, I'm proud of myself.nI tried to fight as hard as I can. You know, it's just not going to get it done against someone like that.nnQuestion :nHi, Jack. David Law from the Tennis Podcast. When did you first start to feel unwell in a match?nnDraper :nI think, you know, we had like a tough opening set, you know, five all. We had a really tight game. You know, I definitely was, sometimes in the matches, you feel your anxious build up, you know, in certain moments.nAnd I definitely felt like five all in the first set was a big game, you know, threw in a couple of double faults. I think it was juice a few times. And then definitely when I came out for the first game in the second set, he was trying to obviously get the break first game.nAnd I managed to hold him off, but definitely he was starting to not feel great in that moment. So, like I said, like it was just, I tried to do my best to fight it for as long as possible. And I did a good job.nYou know, I put myself in a winning position in some of those moments in the second set. Like I definitely felt like he was struggling as well. But obviously when you go two sets to love down, you know, it's still such a long way to go and you're just constantly getting feeling worse and worse.nnQuestion :nYou talk about the anxieties that you've had. You're 22, it's your 10th slam. Do you think those anxieties will go with more experience?nDo you think that's something that will disappear? And what do you do as a coping mechanism behind the scenes for those?nnDraper :nYeah, definitely. You know, like I'm getting as a player, you know, I'm getting more and more experience, you know, that's the one thing, you know, that's helping me this year and helping me to, you know, feel better in general is, you know, the more experiences you have of situations, the easier things become and you just take it all in your stride. You know, obviously Jannik's been in this situation a few times now, you know, so he can sort of relate to maybe the feelings.nYou know, it's difficult, you know, like obviously I'm an athlete, I'm a tennis player, you know, there's so many athletes out there, you know, we've all got things we're working through all the time, you know, tennis especially or just any sport is hugely mental and physical and, you know, I try my best all the time to keep on evolving, to keep on learning and it's definitely something, you know, I've had to just work through my whole entire life, you know, I think I've got quite a strong mentality and quite sort of almost, you know, I use up a lot of mental energy a lot of the time because I want it so badly but obviously that doesn't necessarily help a lot of the time 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.nnQuestion :nHi Jack, Charlie from Athletic. Congrats on a great tournament. I just wonder like how different and what are the main differences of playing someone like a top player like Jannik in a best of five set match on that court?nWere there things that you sort of almost never experienced before?nnDraper :nYeah, I mean, I think firstly Jannik's obviously had, even though he's so young, he's obviously been in these situations many, many times. You know, I think to be fair, you know, before Australian Open this year, he kept on getting to the quarterfinals, the semifinals and came unstuck and I think, you know, it's all a process. You know, you have to go through the losses and the emotions of being there and not quite getting it done and, you know, maybe it was too much for him at certain times and, you know, as players we're constantly being put in situations that sometimes are new to us.nSo we have to learn how to deal with it. I think someone asked me, you know, what do people say? It's like, well, you got to experience that yourself to understand it better and to know how you react to that situation.nI think, yeah, I think Jannik's got huge experience already and also, yeah, I mean, the reason why he's number one in the world and, you know, he's barely losing matches is because he's so consistent. His intensity, his ball speed, he's barely got any weaknesses and he's just able to be there point by point and raise his level when he needs to and mentally, physically, emotionally, everything's, you know, constantly improving and he's rock solid in all areas. So he's tough to beat.nnQuestion :nJack Davidson from the Sunday Times. What do you feel that you most need to do apart from just the experience and the passage of time? What do you feel that you need to do to maybe make that last step to get to that ultimate level?nnDraper :nI think, honestly, I don't think I need to do anything different. I think it's just a matter of time. You know, I think I'm constantly trying to improve.nI've got great people around me. I'm doing all the right things. You know, like I said yesterday, when I came here last year, I was, you know, 120 in the world.nI barely played the whole season. You know, I think I'll be leaving here this week top 20 and, you know, having continued to achieve, you know, things that, you know, I'm breaking new barriers down the whole time of what I think is possible. So, you know, I don't think anything's going to just, oh, I need to do this and that's going to help.nI think it's more just keep on doing what I'm doing, experience. You know, for someone like Jannik or Carlos or some of these young players, you know, they've been on the tour for about three or four years now, constantly playing, constantly learning, constantly taking wins and losses and experiencing losing in the quarters or semis of a Grand Slam. And, you know, I'm still, this is my first proper year, I'd say, because of all my injuries and all my setbacks.nAnd so I'm a few years behind almost. So I think I just need to keep on learning, keep on growing, keep on, you know, having situations like today where I came unstuck. And, you know, how am I going to do it different next time and all these types of things.nAnd that's the biggest thing. I think it is honestly just a matter of time, it's experience, it's doing all the right things, it's training consistently. And, you know, over time you just progress and you get stronger and you get better.nAnd hopefully I'll be in these situations more often and I'm able to come through them.nnQuestion :nCongratulations, Ubaldo Scanagata, UBITennis.com. Congratulations for the great tournament. Maybe was it too easy, the tournament you had until today, because you never had to play tiebreaker, never a very long, long set, maybe once or twice.nThat could have helped you if you had done it. And one thing, you say it doesn't have almost any weakness. If you have to point out one weakness of Sinner, which one would you say?nToday he missed quite a few forehand.nnDraper :nYeah, in answer to the first question, I mean, I just did what I had to do, you know. I'm not going to take it to a tiebreaker. I don't need to take it to a tiebreaker or lose a set because I need to lose a set.nBut, yeah, obviously, you know, my run to the semis, I didn't feel like I was overly sort of pushed almost. You know, I was playing good tennis. I felt like, you know, my opponents, maybe first round guy was injured and then Alex in the quarters maybe had a niggle and, you know, not taking anything away from me because you have to beat the guy in front of you at the end of the day.nBut, no, I don't know. I don't know the answer to that question. But I suppose Sinner, what's one weakness?nHe doesn't have many, mate. One, I don't know. Maybe he's too nice. Maybe he's too nice.nHis forehand is pretty good as well. I'll tell you that for a fact.

Jannik Sinner's post-match interview following his win against Christopher Eubanks in the 2024 Men's singles round 1.

Jessica Pegula's press conference following her win vs. Karolina Muchova in the semifinals of the 2024 US Open.nnQuestion :nJess, if you would, your thoughts on the win.nnJessica Pegula :nYeah, that was quite the match. Obviously, happy to be here sitting, saying that I turned it around. But obviously, it was looking a little rough there for a while.nBut somehow, I found a way and was actually able to play some really good tennis and keep that momentum a lot through that third set and close it out. But yeah, I thought in the third, we had some really good tennis. End of the second and the third.nBut yeah, happy just with the way I was able to compete.nnQuestion :nI'm Darcy Wayne from eSkid.com. Congratulations. You said on the court after the match that you were kind of embarrassed after that first set.nShe made you look like a beginner out there. So how were you able to mentally regroup for that second set to come out and do what you just did?nnPegula :nI don't know. I still didn't really regroup after the first set. I went down 2-0 pretty quickly and down in that service game and was able to make that kind of really good get where she missed that volley.nAnd it seemed like that was a big momentum swing. And I was able to just hold on to my serve there and find a way. I think the crowd really helped me get some adrenaline into me.nI think I was just very, very flat. I wasn't even nervous. I was just super flat.nAnd she's really tough to play when you're flat because she's tricky. She doesn't give you a lot of rhythm. And then obviously, at the end of the first, she was playing some extremely high levels.nSo I just had no rhythm. So I don't know. I think just that game, really holding that game, I was able to just find some adrenaline, get my legs under me, just try and chase down every single ball that I could.nAnd then after that, once I had some rhythm and started feeling more comfortable, I was able to maybe play a little bit more aggressive, try and come in a little bit more, attack the serve. Dictate with my forehand a little bit and kind of find my game after that. But I think it was really just holding that game in the second.nnQuestion :nDavid Cain, Tennis.com. I have to imagine yesterday probably felt like a big emotional release to finally get over that hurdle. I'm curious if that contributed to maybe why you felt flat to start the match and what was it like resetting after last night to prepare for today?nnPegula :nYeah, it was weird. I feel like before the match with Iga, I was way more nervous. And today I was kind of just like, whatever.nBut I don't know, maybe that was bad because I clearly like came out super flat. I was trying to think that maybe it was good that I felt really loose, but clearly I was a little too loose. So I don't really know if that if what happened.nI don't know. Every day again, you feel different. Some days you come out, you feel great.nSome days you come out and you are super flat. And I think you just have to deal with it. But, you know, I'm sure playing back to back matches to playing back to back nights maybe could have contributed as well.nBut I don't really know. I guess we'll never really know. But I think I think that's the challenge of playing at a slam.nIt's just every day you feel you wake up different. Everything can be different. So it's how you adapt to that situation.nAnd I think obviously I was able to adapt just in the nick of time tonight. But yeah, I think that's just what happens sometimes. Really.nnQuestion :nWhen you have faced Aryna before, what has been the key to the matches for you? And what are your thoughts about playing her now for the championship, given all that she represents with her game on hard courts?nnPegula :nYeah, well, obviously she's, you know, a really great hardcourt player, if not one of the best in the world. But I think that I'm also a really good hardcourt player. And I'll you know, Cincinnati, she served unbelievable.nAnd I felt like I still had chances in that match. So hopefully she doesn't serve that good Saturday. Maybe a little bit less would be nice.nBut I think I know that I can have a game that can possibly frustrated her, frustrate her. I feel like in the past, I just have to be aggressive. I have to get her moving, serve smart and, you know, try and put some pressure on her return or on her serve and play my game, which is kind of what I do already.nI try to do those things and, you know, play within myself, pick my spots. You know, I want to say like aggressive, but, you know, not overdo it. I don't know just how I kind of play.nAnd hopefully I'm able to execute that. And if there's something in the match that maybe is working or not working, then I can figure those things out. But, you know, I'm just going to kind of try and play my game Saturday.nnQuestion :nPeter, just Peter Spangiorgio, New York Daily News. How meaningful is it for you to be going to the final?nnPegula :nYeah, I mean, it's amazing. I it's a childhood dream. It's what I wanted when I was a kid.nIt's a lot of work, a lot of hard work put in, and it's just you couldn't even imagine how much goes into it. So it would mean the world to me, obviously. I mean, I'm just happy to be in a final, but obviously I come here to want to win the title.nSo, you know, if you would have told me at the beginning of the year, I'd be in the finals of the U.S. Open, I would have like laughed so hard because that just was where my head was, was not thinking that I would be here. So to be able to overcome all those challenges and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday is what we play for as players. And let alone being able to do that, you know, in my home country here at my, you know, home slam.nI mean, it's just it's perfect, really.nnQuestion :nAva Wallace, The Washington Post. Well played, Jess. Kind of going off of that, we spoke to you so much earlier in your career about kind of your persistence and overcoming the early injuries that you had and kind of being really patient before you got these big wins.nJust making the final, even though you're obviously trying to win this thing. Is that rewarding in any way?nnPegula :nOh, yeah. I mean, it's always rewarding to. I mean, you play for two weeks and you just want to get to that match knowing that you have a chance to win a slam.nAnd that's I mean, that's what we play for. So it's still very rewarding, even though I know, you know, the job isn't finished. But yeah, I mean, all the years of hard work going into it, being, like you said, super resilient through a lot of different things is, yeah, I guess what I've been known for.nSo I guess it's nice to see that it's paid off at least the last two weeks. And like you said, of course, I still want to win the tournament. But I think being able to break through so many different challenges and barriers, you know, the last couple of weeks or even the last month, really, for me personally, is a massive win to me.nnQuestion :nCongratulations, Virgil. We had a talk at the Greenbrier WPT 2020. At the time, you told me what this is.nnPegula :nWhat a time.nnQuestion :nRight?nnPegula :nWhat a time. Right.nnQuestion :nThat was a lot of fun.nnPegula :nYeah.nnQuestion :nYou told me at the time this was one of your dreams, as you just mentioned. But how do you explain the improvement, the level of play and confidence that you have in such a short time?nnIntervenant 1nYeah. How do I?nnQuestion :nEspecially now being one step away.nnPegula :nYeah, it's crazy. I think one is I got a lot fitter. I got a lot better at moving, at knowing how to play my game.nAnd I think all those and staying healthy. And I think all that stuff kind of accumulated into me becoming a lot more confident in matches. I feel like my mental toughness just got so much better once you start winning a lot of matches.nAnd you have this belief in yourself that you can win in tough moments and you can beat these girls and all this stuff. And, you know, that's. I mean, that just gives you a lot of confidence going into these weeks and that I've been able to kind of build off of that and learning through different experiences, winning tournaments and all that stuff kind of just adds up and you just you can always improve.nYou can always get better. I think I've always had a really good open mind of always wanting to get things better. I'm very open to trying different things, to changing things and not anything crazy.nBut to just opening up a different perspective on how to get certain things better and not being afraid of trying those things, whether it's a movement thing, it's a shot, it's there's a lot of things I think I'm always working on. And I'm not afraid to also kind of try that in matches as well. And I think when you do that stuff and you try them and you're working on things and you're able to use them in tournaments that you get confident and you're like, wow, I can really get better.nI can improve and I can hit these shots in big moments. And that just kind of builds and it can build really quickly. I mean, I think we saw that with Emma Navarro, who's drastically improved.nI mean, an insane amount in the last year. And now she's just found the belief that she can play at this level and it can happen quickly. So I think it's nice.nI hope I can be an inspiration to other players that maybe feel like they're stuck or they're not getting better, that you can you can always find a way to get better and improve.nnQuestion :nI just Howard Fendrich with the Associated Press. A few minutes ago, you talked about dreaming of this as a kid. Were there moments where along the way you thought, you know, it's just not going to happen for me?nnPegula :nOh, I think I don't know if I thought it's not going to happen, but there's definitely moments where either like I didn't want to play tennis. I didn't really know if I wanted to do it anymore. I mean, you definitely hit those types of low moments.nI've definitely had several of those, but I think in the end, I always would kind of snap back and be like, OK, like, what am I talking about? You know, I would always kind of just flip the script a little bit. And I've always been good at doing that.nAnd I think that's why I've always been able to come back from different challenges even better than before. But, you know, I honestly I've always felt like. Not that it was never going to happen.nAnd I almost think the opposite. I always felt like, you know what, you'll figure it out eventually. And that's kind of something I've always told myself.nI'm like, oh, I'll figure it out like one of these times. And I think that's kind of just maybe my quiet kind of confidence to myself that I feel like I always have.nnQuestion :nHey Jess, congrats. Charlie, from The Athletic. Obviously, it'll be your first major final.nHave you thought about, you know, reaching out to people who've been in that position and asking them for tips? Or are you just going to kind of see how it goes?nnPegula :nYeah, not really. I haven't gotten that far. We'll see who texts me tonight and tomorrow.nMaybe if there's a good name that pops up, I can pick their brain a little bit. But it was actually cool. I James Blake came out because my coach, one of my coaches used to work with him a lot.nAnd so he actually came out to my practice for a long time before the tournament started. And it was nice kind of talking to him because I was a little nervous going in to play Shelby, you know, knowing that she might be retiring and all that. And he was giving me some advice.nBut other than that, I haven't really spoken to many people. I don't know if I feel like it, like I said, if someone texts me that I feel like talking to, but I might just kind of wing it.nnQuestion :nCongrats, Jess. Tim O'Shea, Buffalo News. What do you, the final push to win this thing, what do you do the next couple of days, tomorrow in particular?nPreparation wise, mentally?nnPegula :nYeah, I mean, definitely get home, get some sleep, get some rest. I'll probably just try and practice super light around the same time that I'll play the final Saturday just to kind of get my biological clock on the right time frame and probably just be pretty light, I think. But it depends on how I'm feeling in the morning, but obviously not going to overdo it and try and get ready for Saturday.nBut just kind of rest and a little active recovery. I don't know. I'll see if my trainer wants me to kind of do anything tomorrow, but just make sure the body and everything is feeling good.

Watch the press conference as Australia's Alex de Minaur says he devestated as he withdraws due to injury, ahead of his match with Serbia's Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon 2024.