Jack Draper collapsed from Wimbledon in the second round while losing to former finalist Marin Cilic in four sets

It is very difficult to make it as a tribute if you keep falling off the stage. For Jack Draper, that trip to the floor is painfully familiar.

Just like with his three previous trips to these lawns, he leaves Wimbledon For the third round and forced newer, harder conversations about a talent that thrives everywhere, except for the green grass from home.

This will not only stab because he was the fourth seed and drove an exceptional year of breakthroughs, but also because of how little damage he caused Marin Cilic.

At 36 hours the Croatian proved that you are never too old to destroy a garden party, and he did this by leaving nothing to the chance of court no. 1.

He was a threat that grew up on every shot, landed more than he missed and reversed expectations in a fairly brilliant way. If we assume that the US Open Champion 2014 and a finalist was rinsed here in 2017, we were guilty of reading far too much on a world ranking of 83.

Jack Draper was dumped from Wimbledon in the second round by Marin Cilic in four sets

Draper was visibly upset and frustrated after his exit by Wimbledon who came as a shock

But it is true that nowadays a lot of his tennis plays on the Challenger circuit and Draper, the younger man with 13 years, should have had better answers for the test.

The reality worked out differently. Apart from the increase in Draper by the third set, at what point he was two, he hardly had a pinch in breaking the Cilic Serve and his own delivery, such a weapon this year, was not effective. His forehand was for large chunks.

It is clear that the burden of ‘the next Andy Murray’ is an unfair to wear, but the comparisons only have legs based on the fact that Draper is good enough to justify them. But not, or not at least.

To the honor of Draper, there was no attempt to apologize. Neither did he agree with the idea that the pressure of following Murray might have been a factor.

“I am clearly upset,” he said. “It is probably one of the most difficult losses I have felt. I thought Cilic played an incredible game and was not embarrassed – he deserved the victory. But it hurts a lot. ‘

About life in Murray’s enormous shadow, he added: ‘I mean, it reminds me that Andy’s performance of what he did twice here was just incredible. Like, it’s not the pressure. I just didn’t play well enough today.

“I didn’t go outside to think I was so busy. Of course you call it all the time. It’s just that I wasn’t good enough today. ‘

This made an acceptance that his game on grass, at the slam he wants to win the most, not near where he needs it. After reaching the semi -final in Queen’s last month and collected a title on Stuttgart’s grass in 2024, it was a mild surprising recognition, but those who are close to him to hold on to brute self -assessments. That they have been the key to his success.

Draper is still the second round in Wimbledon in his career

An earlier Wimbledon finalist Cilic, after several injury problems, found his old spark

“I am really disappointed about the way my game has been in the grass this year, in all honesty,” he said. ‘I didn’t feel too good at Queen’s – I don’t know how I made the semi -final. It is emphasized for me that I was really struggling on the grass.

‘I felt great on the hard, felt great on the clay, but as soon as I came up the grass, I felt a big difference.

‘There are many parts of my game that I still really have to work on to be the player I want to be. I want to feel that everything in my game is safe. I think that’s what you see with the top, top boys.

‘I think there is a bit of a misconception, such as, just because I am a 6ft 4ins Lefty, I have to be incredible on grass. It is clear that I have never passed the second round here. ‘

Honesty had more biting than the performance, which followed earlier in the day for Jack Pinnington Jones, Arthur Fery and Dan Evans, leaving Cameron Norrie behind as the single British participant in the third round of the men’s draw.

For Draper, the first set of Attritional, slowly, was a slog of long rallies and devil-my-care that struck the large Croatian. His casual mistake was double that of Draper, which would have been a source of encouragement if it were not for another statistics – he also hit three times as many winners.

The question was whether the native could move that balance to a better place, but the answer was dependent on the survival. In the first instance, Draper seemed like it, which meant that it was down from 0-40 to 4-3 with a wonderful series of two service winners and a bait.

But Cilic immediately ran to 5-4 and then hit Draper all over again at 0-40. At the first chance, Cilic hit a backhand winner on the line for the set.

That killed the mood somewhat and more when Cilic broke 2-0 again in the second. Life on the edge of a knife adjusted him and one set soon became two.

But then it came. The comeback in Murray style, maybe. But the two breaks in the third set were a false dawn, just as this year’s championship was a false start.