Jack Draper is the next great thing in British tennis, and the British press and fans certainly hope so. They need someone (anyone!) to replace the excellence that was Andy Murray. Draper might, but he isn't there yet, and he proved that at Wimbledon.
He didn't play poorly, but he seemed at a loss for how to approach points in the same way veteran Marin Cilic did. Cilic is 36 years old and well past his prime, but in his prime, he was good enough to reach the final at Wimbledon (2017) and win the US Open (2014). He was once fantastic, but has greatly struggled of late.
One wouldn't know it in the second round of Wimbledon 2025, though. Cilic was aggressive and hit bombastic forehands and serves in defeating Draper in four sets 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4. The only real shock was Cilic playing poorly enough to be dominated in the third set.
Marin Cilic shocks Jack Draper in the second round of Wimbledon 2025
Cilic will next face Jaume Munar in the third round, and the way Cilic played against Draper, he should be considered the favorite.
Not that Cilic is likely worried about that currently. He deserves a day to celebrate. Once ranked as high as No. 3 on the ATP tour, he has tumbled over the last decade. He always had an excellent serve and a forehand good enough to win, but he was inconsistent and often beat himself.
The same almost happened against Draper, too. After winning the first two sets, all that Cilic had going for him fell apart. He couldn't buy a forehand winner, and his serve was either elite or awful. No one would have blamed him for losing the match after that.
In the fourth set, he had more chances. He had break points leading 4-3 but mishit a couple of shots, and Draper was able to hold. A player with less experience and less belief would have wilted. Not Cilic. He managed enough to get a break and take the fourth set. Had it gone to a fifth and final set, the odds would have been in Draper's favor.