LONDON (Reuters) - Croatian Borna Coric had every reason to believe his woeful Wimbledon record was about to change for the better when he arrived at the All England Club on Monday.
Instead it was a familiar tale of woe for the 21-year-old 16th seed as he was outplayed in the first round by Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 6-2 6-2.
Coric beat eight-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer to win the Halle title in the build-up to the year's third Grand Slam -- a result that reverberated around the tennis world.
But after failing to convert a set point in the opener he faded away to a fourth defeat in five Wimbledon matches.
"He was much the better player today," Coric, the first of the men's top 16 seeds to tumble, told reporters.
"But I knew it was going to be tough because I learnt by now that this is tennis and one week can be great; another one can be a disaster like now."
Coric said the Wimbledon grass is not the same as the lawns in Halle.
"It's completely different conditions," he said. "Someone told me I could play Federer in the fourth round here but I didn't even look beyond the first round.
"The grass is definitely a little bit different (to Halle). I was really struggling to move today. It was really windy. I didn't find it very enjoyable.
"If I get that first set, it could turn around a little bit. But then after that, my level just really dropped."
Despite the defeat Coric said it had still been a positive grasscourt season after winning only his second career title in Halle.
"If somebody said I'm going to do 500 points on the grass, I would sign up. So I cannot complain," he said.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
