Marin Cilic breaks down in tears during Wimbledon final

Croatia's Marin Cilic has treatment on his foot as he takes a medical timeout during the Men's Singles final match against Switzerland's Roger Federer on day thirteen at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Sunday, July 16, 2017. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP)

Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic was dealing with a foot issue when he was overwhelmed with emotion during the second set in Sunday's Wimbledon final against Sweden's Roger Federer, sparking a series of reactions on social media.

Cilic, 28, sat down in his chair as he trailed the second set 3-0. His trainer and a doctor were called to his side to examine his injured left foot. Cilic was seen visibly upset, wiping away tears with a towel. Some spectators were concerned the match would end there.

Determined to finish in the final, Cilic returned to the court as the crowd cheered him on. He won the game, but lost the second match 6-1. Federer ultimately won his eighth Wimbledon title, beating Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

Cilic, who is seeded No. 7, confirmed after the match that his foot issue was due to a bad blister.

"It was definitely one of the unfortunate days for me for this to happen. I had a really bad blister and fluid came down into the callus," Cilic said.

Croatia's Marin Cilic wipes his face as he has treatment on his foot as he takes a medical timeout during the Men's Singles final match against Switzerland's Roger Federer.

"It was tough emotionally because I know how much went into the preparation in the past few months," he said to reporters. "It was really bad luck, but I wanted to give my best and try as much as I could. But it was tough when you are in that situation because you know there is not much chance to win."

"I gave it my best," Cilic added. "That's all I could do."

Many people came to Cilic's support during the long changeover.

"You forget athletes are humans with real emotions. The sport of tennis is so hard because you're out there all by yourself," American tennis player Mardy Fish wrote on Twitter.

Other people didn't take Cilic's emotional moment so fondly. British television personality Piers Morgan called the Croatian player "a baby."

"Get a grip, Cilic. You don't sob like a baby because you're losing. That's pathetic. #WimbledonFinals," Morgan wrote on Twitter.