in the second round of the Gentlemen’s Singles Competition on Court No. 1
during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships. Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Knocked out by a knee injury in recent years, Marin Cilic is flying high again at Wimbledon.
Straddling the baseline like a launching pad, Cilic cracked one final forehand drive down the line capping a commanding 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 triumph over fourth-seeded Briton Jack Draper in a rousing Wimbledon second-round upset on Court No. 1.
In his first Wimbledon appearance since 2021, former US Open champion Cilic competed with class and conviction. Cilic outplayed Draper for two sets and kept calm at closing time, cracking serve in the final game in dispatching Draper and breaking British hearts in the process.
Cilic’s wife, Christina, and the couple’s children leaped out of their seats in the support box in celebration while the former Wimbledon finalist pumped his fist toward his box with a wide smile plastered across his face.
“Emotions are just incredible,” Cilic said. “Where I was three years ago I can’t even describe.
“It’s been a long journey. To come back and play this kind of level with this crowd against Jack it’s just incredible. Thanks everyone for great sportsmanship.”
Across the net, a gutted Draper waved to adoring fans walking off after failing to reach the third round in his fourth career Wimbledon appearances.
Knee surgery in 2023 limited Cilic to just six events between January 2023 and August 2024, but the 2014 US Open champion remained committed to his comeback dream.
The 36-year-old Cilic scored just his fourth Tour-level win of this season, but he carried the confidence from winning the Nottingham Challenger and exuded intensity from the start today.
“Obviously, it’s been a whole career, my whole life I’ve been training,” Cilic said. “Last several weeks in UK, [I was] winning matches. I’m in great form and just feeling great and hope I can continue to play well.”
Indeed, Cilic knows his way around British lawns. A two-time Queen’s Club champion, Cilic saved a championship point toppling Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic in the 2018 Queen’s Club final.
The bearded big man was in no mood for close shaves today.
Cilic cranked 16 aces, won 60 percent of his second serve points and pounded 53 winners—24 more than Draper—in a two hour, 39 triumph. It came hours after seven-time champion Djokovic dismantled British wild card Dan Evans 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 in one of his finest performances of the season on Centre Court.
The 83rd-ranked Cilic showed the form that made him a world No. 3 and crucially did not blink in the latter stages of the fourth set.
A day that began with British fans popping champagne corks on Henman Hill ended with them drinking in deep disappointment—as well as admiration for Cilic’s commitment to the cause.