Marin Cilic pays emotional tribute to family after shocking Jack Draper at Wimbledon

Marin Cilic said his kids were the reason he kept playing after causing a huge shock at Wimbledon. The world No. 83 stunned Britain's fourth seed Jack Draper 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to return to the third round here after a long battle with injuries.

Now aged 36, Cilic has reached the top of the game - peaking at No. 3 in the world, winning the US Open in 2014, and reaching the Wimbledon final eight years ago. But he dropped outside the top 700 in the rankings last year after undergoing surgery, and has now credited his family for keeping him going.

Twelve months after he sat at home, recovering from a knee operation, Cilic earned his biggest win in three years as he broke British hearts and sent Draper packing in the second round.

The former world No. 3 hit 53 winners to end the campaign of Britain's biggest hope at this year's Wimbledon, then reflected on his long journey back to the biggest stage in tennis.

"The emotions are just incredible, there I was two years ago, I can't even describe. It's been a long journey, I never lost any doubt," Cilic told the Court 1 crowd.

"Obviously it was long and testing, a huge challenge for me in this part of my career to come back to play this kind of level in front of this crowd, against Jack, it's just incredible so thanks everyone for great sportsmanship."

While most of Court 1 was pulling for Draper, the Croatian world No. 83 had some special supporters in his box. His wife, Kristina, their two sons, and some other youngsters watched him cause a huge upset at SW19.

Cilic's kids weren't alive when he won his only Major title or reached the final here, so it made Thursday's victory even more important.

The former world No. 3 said: "They are also one of the reasons why I kept such a great passion. Also, running after them keeps me always in a great shape!

"For them to come here, they are always great support, they are cheering me on and showing me the fist. I'm so happy that they're here and enjoying as a family."

Cilic was always a dangerous prospect. When he returned from his injury layoff, he entered the Hangzhou Open as a wildcard ranked down at No. 777 in the world and went on to lift the trophy, becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Tour title winner.

He's also won two Challenger titles this year, including one on the grass in Nottingham a few weeks ago. And he has a good chance to return to the second week of Wimbledon in what's been a tournament full of upsets, as he faces unseeded Spaniard Jaume Munar on Saturday.

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