Roger Federer admits he was not expecting such a strong performance from Marin Cilic in their U.S. Open semifinal, in which he lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
"Yeah, I was surprised," said Federer. "Just how consistently he was able to pull it off, forehand and backhand."
Playing his second Grand Slam semifinal, Cilic won 87 percent of his first-serve points and hit 43 winners.
The second seed noted Cilic's big serving, but added, "I'm definitely not happy the way I was able to return his serve. I expect better from myself. Especially on his first serve, you know, at least get the feeling like I know what's going on, I know where it's coming. Today that didn't work at all. But, you know, like I said, credit to him. He served big."
Federer saw more to Cilic's play than just his serve, however. ”I think he was also playing really well from the baseline, so let's not only talk about just his serving. From the baseline I think he was hitting the ball very well, as well."
Though he acknowledged he was frustrated by the defeat, Federer said he had not been able to get into the match and would now turn his attention to Davis Cup.
"I just think conditions were fast, he served great, it was one of those matches like old-school tennis,” said Federer. “It was just like full swing from all sides—forehand, backhand, serve, return. No holding back from his side. I just couldn't hang with him for long enough to create some doubts in his mind. Didn't play good enough overall."