DEVASTATED CILIC REVEALS BLISTER SPARKED TEARS
LONDON: Devastated Marin Cilic admitted his Wimbledon final tears were triggered by the realisation his bid to shock Roger Federer was destined to end in a painful defeat.
Cilic wept inconsolably on Centre Court midway through the second set after calling for medical attention on a nasty blister on his left foot.
“I got a bad blister in the semifinal against Sam Querrey. Fluid just came down under my callous in the foot...The physios here helped me over the last 30 hours. They were with me constantly and did as much as they could.
“I still felt the pain. Every time I had to do a reaction fast, fast change of movement, I was unable to do that. Obviously it was very tough emotionally because I know how much I went through in the last few months in preparation for Wimbledon.”
Cilic explained that his tears at 3-0 down in the second set were more a result of his disappointment at not being able to perform at his best rather than a legacy of the pain.
“It was just a feeling I knew I cannot give my best on the court, that I cannot give my best game, especially at this stage of my career, at such a big match,” he said.
“It was very, very difficult to deal with it. It didn’t hurt so much that it was putting me in tears. It was just that feeling that I wasn’t able to give the best. It was actually very difficult to focus on the match, as well, as my mind was all the time blocked with the pain.
“It was tough to focus on the tactics, on the things that I needed to do. I wasn’t serving very good because of that.”