Long considered the future of British men’s tennis, Draper has had his breakthrough this season, winning his first ATP title, becoming his country’s leading player and reaching the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Fittingly, he reached the semifinals of the US Open – on a medium-fast hard court that suits his explosive game – in his first major since Andy Murray’s retirement.

The left-hander from Surrey has taken over the baton from former world number one Murray.

However, he failed to become the first Briton since the Scot to reach a major final.

Draper’s career was plagued by fitness issues at the start, but the catalyst for his success this year was building his body to withstand the rigors of a brutal sport.

Nervous tension did play a role, however. He was ill immediately after his victory in the first round of the Australian Open in January and attributed this to the “psychological stress” of the situation.

Whether this played a role in this case remains to be seen.

Whatever the problem, Draper showed the resilience needed to keep fighting against the best player in the world and refused to give up on his career like he had to do earlier in his career.

And once the disappointment is over, he will look back with great pride on an encouraging two weeks that suggest there are more exciting times ahead for British tennis fans.

More to follow.