It's been a long wait for Marin Cilic, but he is finally there where he wanted to be - in the quarter-finals of The Championships at the All England Club.
Cilic beat Jeremy Chardy Monday in straight sets (7-6, 6-4, 6-4) firing 33 aces and numerous winners past the Frenchman at the Wimbledon, reports Xinhua.
"I knew that Chardy will be a dangerous opponent and he was, especially in the first set when I didn't get a chance on his serve. But I played a great match from the start till the end, despite the rain break. I was serving exceptionally well; I think that 33 aces in three sets is my personal best," Cilic said.
"This is something that I was hoping for months, that I will be able to beat big names on the big stage. Everything clicked in Wimbledon. It's my first quarter-final here and I will enjoy it. It's a great challenge for me. With this form and with this approach, I can expect to play another great match," he added.
Cilic will next face world No.2 Novak Djokovic, 2011 Wimbledon champion, who beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfired Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 under the roof on the Centre Court.
Cilic didn't manage to beat the current No.2 in the world in their previous nine encounters, but he did take a set off the Serb in their last two matches.
"I played very good against Djokovic in Indian Wells and Roland Garros. I felt that I was close. I see this as a chance to do more than I did in those two matches," Cilic said.
It will be their first match on grass and Djokovic spoke respectfully about his quarterfinal opponent even though he's up 9-0 in head-to-head.