Cilic rues 'slight hesitation' on match points

The Croatian squandered three match points in the fourth set before losing 6-7 (4-7), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 to Federer. Cilic said he was largely pleased with his display on Centre Court, with his only regret perhaps not attacking when he had chances to close out victory.

Croatian Marin Cilic during the quarterfinal match against Federer at the Wimbledon on Wednesday.

Marin Cilic lamented his lack of aggression on match points in his thrilling five-set loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The Croatian squandered three match points in the fourth set before losing 6-7 (4-7), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9), 6-3 to the Swiss great.

Cilic said he was largely pleased with his display on Centre Court, with his only regret perhaps not attacking when he had chances to close out victory. "I would say obviously in those situations, slight hesitation comes into your body," he said.

"Legs start not to move, so you have to actually try to focus about the game that you need to play rather than the occasion.

"In those couple occasions, especially match point in the tie-break, and even one before on 5-4, I believe, I had pretty makeable returns on second serves.

"That was pretty much a shame."

After taking the first two sets in style, 2014 U.S. Open champion Cilic allowed Federer to hold from 0-40 down at 3-3 in the third. He had match points in the 10th and 12th games of the fourth, as well as the tie-break, before Federer fought back, breaking Martina Navratilova's record for most singles match wins at Grand Slams.

Cilic said: "I felt that I was playing really, really good, really good tennis from the beginning.

"I was serving well, mixing up my game well. With the game plan that I went into the match, I think I was executing it pretty good. I was giving myself lot of chances in the first two sets.

"I was a little bit unlucky in the third one. I had one game 0-40, the next game he broke me. That switched a little bit of the momentum.

"Fourth set, as well, I had a lot of chances obviously. Few match points. On a few of the occasions, returns on the second serves... That was definitely a difficult one.

"But I was trying to be mentally inside the game. Even in the fifth set, I was feeling that I played well. Just in that game where I lost my serve, few of the points that I have lost, he made great passes.

"That was nothing more that I could do in those occasions. Yeah, just definitely huge disappointment for me losing this way."