Latest news with #MarinCilic
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jack Draper withdraws from US Open warm-up tournaments with arm injury
British No 1 Jack Draper has withdrawn from two warm-up tournaments ahead of the US Open with an arm injury picked up after Wimbledon. The 23-year-old will miss Toronto and Cincinnati, two important tournaments in the American hard-court swing before the year's final major. The Londoner said on social media that the injury was 'nothing serious' but added, 'I have to make sure it recovers fully for the rest of the season.' 'See you in NYC!' he added. Draper, whose biggest weapons on court are his powerful lefty serve and forehand, did not elaborate on the injury but said it was in his left arm. His Wimbledon came to an abrupt end in the second round with defeat by veteran and former SW19 finalist, Marin Cilic. The loss meant that the Brit has still never gone past the second round at his home slam, but he has significant points to defend in Flushing Meadows. He reached the semi-finals last year, losing to eventual winner Jannik Sinner in a dramatic match where he struggled with nerves and sickness. The result capped off a phenomenal breakout season for him and marked a maiden last-four appearance at a grand slam, on his preferred surface. He has since risen to a high of world No 4 and currently sits at fifth in the world rankings.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jack Draper upholds the torturous tradition of a British Wimbledon hopeful
In the minutes leading up to Jack Draper's second-round match with Marin Cilic, the energy in the Wimbledon crowd would've had you believe this would be a coming-out party for Britain's newest tennis star. Yet within minutes of the match beginning, it became clear that this would be an occasion for Cilic to test the 23-year-old's title credentials. It was, after two hours and 38 minutes, a test that Draper failed. What better man to test those credentials than Cilic, too? A former finalist, and an in-form one at that, the 36-year-old returned to SW19 after a four-year absence, but on the back of a triumph on the grass of Nottingham. There was a rousing reception for Draper as the world No 4 emerged to face the 'big-serving' Croat (a customary tag), yet it was a subtly different support than that afforded to Dan Evans earlier in the day. On Centre Court, it felt as though Evans would never have overcome seven-time champion Novak Djokovic without the crowd's back-up, and ultimately the Briton's endeavour was ill-fated anyway. But on No 1 Court, it was as if the fans appreciated that Draper could probably get through without them. At least, it felt that way for a brief moment. Because soon enough, the realisation set in that these games were not quite as straightforward as some might have expected. When Draper faced his first break point, for example, it was as early as 1-2 in the first set, yet the numbers on the clock read 0.23, signifying how arduous the opening exchanges had been. Indeed, the points themselves had offered little in the way of excitement, with both sets of groundstrokes largely coming from the baseline, but with Cilic executing them with an ease that Draper initially lacked. Draper's shots carried more power, yes, but also appeared more forced. In any case, the length of the games came not from the length of the rallies, but from the constant trading of points. At times, Draper demonstrated phenomenal defence, as he was slung from side to side and seemed unable to play a shot without bending or stretching. He would save that early/not-so-early break point but faced three in a row at a crucial juncture: 3-4. This was his opportunity, however, to show that while he is not the 'big-serving', tanned tower that stood across the net, he is still a big lad. And he channelled his power into a serving salvo, producing four unreturnable efforts in a row to erase all three break points and earn advantage. When Draper then held serve, in the first significant rally in several points, the noise from the crowd was tremendous. But two games later, Draper was again staring down the barrel of a triple break point. This time, he could erase none, with Cilic not only breaking on the first attempt but simultaneously taking the first set, 6-4. As clouds drifted over No 1 Court, dulling the shine of the sun, Cilic was dulling Draper's Dunlop blade. The former US Open winner was showing form reminiscent of his 2014 triumph in New York, and he broke Draper at the first opportunity in the second set. With a mature hold, Cilic turned 2-0 into 3-0. By this point, the 2017 runner-up had actually recorded as many double faults as aces, and more unforced errors than Draper, yet they had been of no value to the Briton. Crucially, Cilic had struck more than double the number of Draper's winners, approaching triple. The simplest statistic soon followed: Cilic had doubled his lead, to two sets to love. It's not that Draper never looked like mounting a comeback; it's just that Cilic was holding so steady, it appeared obvious that Draper would need to be near faultless to turn it around. Suddenly, Draper found the required groove. He showed fire in passing the veteran for a sublime winner in the third set, and echoed the roar of the crowd. On the next point, three laser forehands in a row had the crowd cooing, as Draper set about earning three break points. The fans were also pleased to see Cilic given a time-violation warning at 30-40, after he had saved two break points. 'Pleased' doesn't quite sum up their response to the next point, however, as Draper blasted Cilic into the corner, leaving him helpless and his serve broken. That was the start of a remarkable run to 6-1, as Draper clawed his way into the match at last. There was still much work to do, though. Draper was reminded as much at 2-3 in the fourth set, when he saw a 40-0 lead swallowed, the final game point devoured by a stunning, angled pass from Cilic. Still, Draper held firm, eventually holding. And at 3-4, he stood strong again, fending off back-to-back break points. The subsequent hold led the crowd to a fever pitch. And as is tradition, the home crowd backed their boy to the end. It came at 7.32pm, when Cilic broke Draper's serve, his resolve, and possibly his heart. With that, Cilic introduced Draper to another custom: the torturous tradition of being a British Wimbledon hopeful. Forlorn, Draper trudged off the court, applauded by all – including Cilic. This was not the 23-year-old's earliest exit here, given he failed to clear the first hurdle in 2021, but this loss means his best result at the All England Club remains the second round, where he also fell in 2022 and 2024, having missed the 2023 tournament. It will, in any case, be his most painful exit, arriving at a time when he seemed destined for more. Perhaps not the title, but the second week and the hope that it brings. So, Jack, now you've been formally introduced to Wimbledon heartbreak. We hope you don't get to know it too well.
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Jack Draper WITHDRAWS from two Masters tournaments ahead of next month's US Open amid injury concern - throwing British No1's ATP Finals hopes into doubt
Jack Draper has withdrawn from the two Masters tournaments ahead of next month's US Open, casting doubt on his participation in what would be his first ATP Finals at the end of the season. The British No1 has shared a statement on social media confirming that he will not take part in either the Canadian Open or the Cincinnati Open in a bid to manage a minor left arm injury. Draper revealed that he had picked up the complaint in the wake of Wimbledon, where the 25-year-old was unable to improve upon last year's second-round exit, falling to a veteran Marin Cilic in four sets, adding that he was looking to 'recover fully for the rest of the season'. While the world No5 remains keen to take part in the final Grand Slam of the season, missing out on the two major events of the summer's American swing could see Draper head to Flushing Meadows with a certain degree of ring rust one year on from his landmark semi-final against Jannik Sinner. Draper will also be unable to defend his ranking points in North America - no major issue for his first-round exit in Canada, but the Briton reached the quarter-finals south of the border before he was knocked out of the last-8 by Holger Rune. Hard-court is Draper's preferred surface, and after admitting that his mastery of grass was some way off after his hasty SW19 exit at the start of July, stepping back from the two events will no doubt see him lose pace in the race to Turin, in which he currently sits fifth. The American tournaments will begin in earnest for Draper's compatriots, however, with Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and Dan Evans competing in the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, DC this week. Evans, who won the event in 2023, has been clawing his way back into the top 100 after his refusal to defend the points earned in the US capital in favour of partnering Andy Murray at the Olympics in Paris torpedoed his ranking. The 35-year-old will begin his campaign to recapture the trophy against Zizou Bergs on Sunday afternoon, while Raducanu faces off against number-seven seed Marta Kostyuk and Boulter plays Maria Sakkari on Monday.
Deccan Herald
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
Wimbledon: Meet the champions from last 10 tournaments
In 2017, Roger Federer made history by becoming the first man to win Wimbledon eight times, defeating Croatia's Marin Cilic and extending his Grand Slam tally to 19 titles. |
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
All Britons out of Wimbledon singles - what did we learn?
In her latest Wimbledon column BBC Sport analyst Naomi Broady - a former top-60 player on the WTA Tour - analyses the performances of the leading British singles players and what they can learn. It is no secret that British players often feel a lot of pressure at Wimbledon. As I well know from my appearances here, you can feel a desperation to perform well because it is the part of the year when a lot of the non-tennis-watching British public watch our wonderful big tennis fans watch the whole year round, but those who don't form strong opinions from what they see at want to show how good you can all of the 23 Britons are out of the Wimbledon singles, let's examine how five of the leading names fared. Jack Draper - early exit but has game for grass How far he went: Suffered a second-round exit, losing to 2017 finalist Marin we learned: Draper still needs a little more time to develop on the into Wimbledon, all the talk was about whether the British men's number one was a contender - he is not an unfair statement to make. It would have been disrespectful if he was not put in that bracket seeing as he is ranked fourth in the world with a big left-handed serve and a big game, plus he was junior runner-up in could not have had a worse draw, though. It was tricky from the start and to play someone with the serve of Cilic on this surface is incredibly bad he can take going forward: The season overall has not gone how Draper would have expected - but in a good Indian Wells on a hard court, then reaching the Madrid Open final on clay, showed the level we have long known he game can naturally fit on grass, but it is tough to expect what we have seen on other surfaces to happen immediately on how short the season is, many people feel quite unsettled at wanted to bring that return position back closer to the baseline. He was aggressive at Queens; we saw him coming forward more. That will benefit his game in the future. Emma Raducanu - showed she can return to top 10 How far she went: Pushed world number one Aryna Sabalenka before losing their third-round we learned: For Raducanu, it was an incredible tournament. Coming into the tournament, she had regained the British women's number one ranking and produced some of her best tennis, beating 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova and playing even better when she went toe-to-toe with Sabalenka in a narrow Vondrousova is one of the few players to win a grass-court tournament this season, Raducanu pushing Sabalenka was the most impressive.I almost felt the winner of Raducanu-Sabalenka could be the winner of the title because the quality of the tennis was some of the best we have seen in the women's she can take going forward: The knowledge she has the game to trouble the said in her Centre Court interview that she thought Raducanu would be back in the top 10 soon - I don't think that was simply a platitude to get the crowd on her in the locker room knows how good Raducanu's game is. They can feel the strength of her shots.I agree with Sabalenka - she will be back in the top 10 soon. Katie Boulter - slipped on banana skin How far she went: Knocked out in the second round with a shock loss to Argentine qualifier Solana we learned: Boulter came through a tough first-round draw against ninth seed Paula Badosa, but faced a banana skin next in against somebody who has nothing to lose and has won so many matches through qualifying - they are floating through the air, feeling light and hitting the ball well - is really you had a ranking by surface, Boulter would be one of the best players in the world on thrives on this surface and nobody is more gutted than her at she can take going forward: Boulter can still reach the second week of a Grand Slam for the first movement has vastly improved and so has her mentality - she is digging in and I don't think she has imposter syndrome as her ranking has moved best results will come on the quick, hard courts, so maybe it is a US Open - where the balls sit up and she can get on top of it, and her serve will still be effective - or on the much of it comes to luck of the draw - if you are seeded and can avoid the big names and someone feeling good. Sonay Kartal - became a crowd favourite How far she went: Reached the fourth round for the first time before losing to Anastasia we learned: While Kartal says clay is her favourite surface, I am not surprised to see her do well on the women's game you often see the players who like the clay do well on the grass because both surfaces react well to spin, albeit opposite types of players who enjoy heavy top-spin on their forehands - like Kartal - often also enjoy hitting their slice can look at Jasmine Paolini and Ons Jabeur, who have both reached Wimbledon finals in recent years, as good examples of players who like variety and lean into their spin more on the she can take going forward: There is still room for improvement. When you look at the recent women who have reached the top 10, you think 'why couldn't Kartal do that?'She is such a sponge. That is why she is moving quickly through the rankings. She is able to be sharp to the pace of the ball and the change of intensity as she starts to play women ranked at the year she has a great opportunity to capitalise on people not knowing the ins and outs of her game she can stay one step ahead when the girls start to find out those weaknesses, and how to counteract that, then she can go much higher. Cameron Norrie - regaining confidence can have trampoline effect How far he went: Made the quarter-finals but came unstuck against defending champion Carlos we learned: Norrie has struggled with his form but I love how he stayed with his team when he was going through a rough many people would point fingers, looking for an easy fix, instead of taking that consistent team shows his mindset and has been a big part of his level has skyrocketed back to where it was and, although Alcaraz was a cut above, Norrie will be proud of proving he can still go deep at the he can take going forward: Even more belief from his runs at the French Open and will always have confidence in his physicality - it is his bread and butter. Now the confidence is coming back into his shots, he can jump back up really game suits hard court more than grass - we saw that when he won Indian Wells in 2021 - and this run could have a trampoline effect for him.
