At an age twice his world rating of 17, Marin Cilic discovered Croatia’s 2018 and 2022 soccer World Cup displaying inspiring. “Usually, Croatians are very aggressive by nature, you realize sporting nature,” he mentioned.
The highest-ranked Croatian tennis professional himself is a superb advocate of that assertion. For over twenty years, Cilic has epitomised that aggressive spirit—a Grand Slam big stamping his foot on the 2014 US Open, a 20-time titlist displaying his craft on the ATP Tour since 2005.
He’s nonetheless serving bombs and shattering the traces in 2023, proof being his begin to the contemporary season. A 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win in opposition to Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena on the ATP Tata Open Maharashtra on Wednesday put him within the quarter-finals on his return to Pune after 2018.
Since incomes a spot within the prime 50 in 2008—the 12 months earlier than he received his second ATP title in Chennai beating Somdev Devvarman within the ultimate—Cilic has not been pushed out of it. From 2016 to 2019, he was among the many world’s prime 10, surging to No 3 in 2018. Within the brutal world of recent tennis, that’s unbelievable consistency.
“Whenever you have a look at my general profession progress, it was incredible,” Cilic mentioned. “If I used to be in a position to again that up with higher performances at Masters 1000 tournaments, I’d say my profession can be even higher. However I am so pleased with my performances at Grand Slams. I managed to play all of them actually, actually constantly nicely through the years, and that has been the pillar of my success.”
Cilic is a reputation no rival would need to see subsequent to his within the draw. Even GOAT-contenders Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the not too long ago retired Roger Federer. Cilic has overwhelmed all three a minimum of as soon as, the latter two at Slams. The 2014 US Open champion additionally boasts of eight quarter-final, three semi-final and two ultimate appearances in Majors. In an period of the Massive Three stranglehold, that’s a powerful CV.
Does he rue his luck or really feel lucky to do battle within the instances of those titans?
“I do not know,” he smiled. “If I used to be within the period prior, who is aware of! However it’s troublesome to choose.
“I used to be at dwelling for Christmas, taking part in some tennis with my nephews on the courtroom of the yard I grew up in. The very first thing I assumed was, as a child it was my dream to play at Wimbledon or enter the highest 100. I had no thought what’s there within the open world. So, for me, it is so many desires coming true throughout my profession. I am unable to say I used to be not lucky sufficient.”
Not that he’s near cease giving Grand Slam glory extra photographs. His 2022 Roland Garros semi-final run—he beat the then No 2 Daniil Medvedev and No 7 Andrey Rublev en route—proved that. The massive-serving Croatian has all the time had the sport for arduous courts and grass, and broke by on clay final 12 months to turn out to be simply the fifth lively male participant to succeed in the final 4 of all Slams.
Cilic mentioned whereas he grew up taking part in on clay courts, he felt a stable reference to the filth only some years in the past. For him, the important thing to creating an all-court recreation has been as a lot about observing as practising.
“I discovered an ideal really feel on how one can play and need to play (on clay) perhaps five-six years in the past. And I loved it. It is about studying and understanding how one can play… watching guys like Rafa, lots of the Spanish and South American guys who play nice tennis on clay, and absorbing these issues,” he mentioned.
“Nearly attending to the French Open ultimate gave me nice satisfaction that I’m nonetheless in a position to do it and that there are nonetheless openings for me.”
It got here after a few seasons of, as Cilic places it, “reinventing myself, discovering new methods to do issues” on the again of patchy 2020 and 2021 that dragged him right down to the mid-40s rating regardless of successful two titles in 2021. The “positivity” was again in 2022, and so is the idea going into the 2023 season to kick on.
“This later a part of my profession, I nonetheless have that enthusiasm, that motivation to maintain going,” he mentioned. “To not say, ‘a pair extra years and I’m high-quality’. I’m feeling actually motivated to do one thing nice.”