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Britain’s mens No 1 Draper beaten 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6
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Cilic previously reached Wimbledon finals, losing in 2017
Questions over how next to rename The Hill can wait another year. Jack Draper, the new hope of British men’s tennis, was taught a grand slam lesson by the veteran Marin Cilic on Court One on Thursday and exits Wimbledon with fresh learnings to take on board in his burgeoning career.
There has been distinct excitement at Draper’s prospects in SW19 this summer after his heady ascent up the ATP rankings and victory at Indian Wells in the spring. That this was only his fourth Wimbledon appearance and that none of his previous outings had gone beyond the second round was not given much credence. But perhaps a lack of experience told here, at least in how Draper managed the match, while the 36-year-old Cilic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2017, revelled in his own on-court Indian summer.