LONDON (AP) — In pain and in tears, Marin Cilic never really had a chance.
The big-serving Croat played with a blister on his left foot in Sunday's Wimbledon final against Roger Federer. Cilic looked good for a while, but the injury quickly got worse as Federer quickly got better and won 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
"It was definitely one of the unfortunate days for me," Cilic said after losing on Centre Court. "Fluid just came down under my callous in the foot. ... Every time I had to do a reaction fast — fast change of movement — I was unable to do that."
Cilic said he first felt the blister during his four-set victory over Sam Querrey in the semifinals. The 2014 U.S. Open champion said it wasn't that bad on Friday, but it got more serious that night.
"I felt that the foot wasn't so good. It wasn't so bad after the match," Cilic said. "We tried to take some fluid out overnight, and yesterday in the morning it was worse. The doctors and physios were trying to help as much as they could. They really did the best they could, really helped a lot."
Tennis Channel looks back at Marin Cilic's Wimbledon final to forget: