Marin Cilic reminded everyone of his quality by defeating Jack Draper at Wimbledon.
The Croatian has suffered plenty of injury issues over the past two seasons, including two major knee surgeries.
Following a significant operation and now aged 36, Cilic proved he can produce top-level tennis following a four-set victory over Draper at Wimbledon.
Marin Cilic used his experience and precise and aggressive ballstriking to cause Draper plenty of problems and bring his 2025 campaign at the All-England Club to an end.
Marin Cilic shared what he liked about Jack Draper’s game before their Wimbledon match
For the first time in his career, Cilic squared off against Jack Draper. The former top 10 player made a strong start by taking the opening two sets, before Draper stormed back to take set three.
But his efforts were in vain as Cilic recovered to take the fourth set and seal a big win to move into the third round at Wimbledon once again.
During his post-match press conference, Cilic was asked if he spotted any weaknesses in Draper’s game before their match; he opted to focus on the Brit’s strengths.
“Always you have to adapt, every player is a bit different and especially Jack, playing on grass. He has a great lefty serve, a player who is a great shot maker off the ground,” Cilic told reporters.
“On both sides he is really solid and he has that physical presence where he puts you also under pressure. For me it was I am going to focus on my own game, try to serve well and be in his service games as much as I could. That was one of the great aspects of the start of the match of that first set.
“I even had some break point opportunities I did not convert, managed to stay calm and then make that break and then another one in the second set. That gave me some momentum which obviously plays a big part in these Grand Slam matches.”
Marin Cilic explains what he did to defeat Jack Draper at Wimbledon
Cilic is certainly making the most of his first appearance at Wimbledon since 2021.
He is now on a seven-match win streak and credited his experience and ATP Challenger Tour title win a fortnight ago for helping him defeat Draper.
“I am feeling extremely happy but I am aware that I am playing well. It’s nothing unusual,” he added.
“The last several weeks I have been playing really well and I won a Challenger in Nottingham where I played some great tennis.
“I was layer after layer building up and I am also feeling great in training sessions so I have great confidence in my own self.
“These kind of matches challenge you to perform better because the opponent is going to challenge you with his own game. But I am aware that my level is very high and if I can go further, I feel that I can.”
