Cilic: Foot blister caused pain, disappointment caused tears

Marin Cilic confirmed after his disappointing Wimbledon final performance that he was physically compromised during the match, explaining that he had a "really bad blister" on his foot that he'd picked up during his semifinal win over Sam Querrey.

Cilic twice requested medical timeouts, and during the second he had his foot re-taped before beginning the third set. But it was the first of those timeouts that caused concern for viewers, as Cilic sobbed throughout an extended changeover. Cilic explained that it wasn't the pain that brought him to tears, but the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to put his best foot forward in one of the biggest matches of his life.

"It was just a feeling that I knew that I cannot give my best on the court, that I cannot give my best game and my best tennis, especially at this stage of my career, in such a big match," Cilic told reporters in post-match press.

"It was very, very difficult to deal with it. You know, that was the only thing. But otherwise, you know, 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."

Cilic had come into the match with some hope, having had a good deal of recent success against Roger Federer. But it became clear early in the second set that he wasn't going to be able to compete the way he needed to, and he bowed out in three noncompetitive sets.

"It's a devastating loss but I'm proud of what I did here for two weeks," he said, according to Carole Bouchard of The Yellow Ball Corner. "Gives me strength for the rest of the season."