Former finalist Marin Cilic in latest injury blow, withdraws from 2023 Wimbledon

Former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to injury.

Croatian tennis player and 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic has announced his withdrawal from this year's Grand Slam tournament due to ongoing struggles with an injury that has stopped him from playing on the ATP tour for months.

The 34-year-old has been suffering from a right-knee injury that he picked up in India at the Pune Open back in January. He was forced to withdraw from his second-round match against Tallon Griekspoor, who went on to win the tournament.

Cilic, currently ranked at No. 100 in the world, was then forced to miss the Australian Open before undergoing surgery, which led to a long recovery period. Despite this, he was due to play on grass at the Libema Open in the Netherlands between June 12-18 but ultimately had to withdraw.

In a statement posted on his Instagram on Wednesday 28th June, Cilic confirmed his decision not to participate in Wimbledon 2023. Although he opened by expressing his disappointment at missing the tournament and the grass season in general, he remains optimistic, saying that his recovery is going well.

Along with reaching the Wimbledon final six years ago, Cilic has a total of 20 ATP Tour singles titles to his name. He also won his first major title at the 2014 US Open, beating Japan's Kei Nishikori in straight sets.

Despite his recent challenges, Cilic shows no sign of slowing down, making it clear that he hopes to be competing again soon.