Marin Cilic not too long ago mirrored on among the most essential matches of his profession. He reached three Grand Slam finals, although he misplaced two of them to Roger Federer.
At 37, Cilic remains to be performing properly on tour. This season, he made the fourth spherical at Wimbledon and gained titles in Girona and Nottingham on the ATP Challenger circuit.
Talking to Flashscore, Cilic recalled being one set away from profitable the 2018 Australian Open. He admitted that dealing with somebody as skilled as Federer made the problem barely more durable.
“In Australia, I performed probably among the greatest tennis of my life, and there have been alternatives within the fifth set to win the title. If I had been taking part in somebody who was not as skilled in Grand Slam finals as Federer, I really feel I’d have a much bigger likelihood to win,” Marin Cilic mentioned
Cilic has captured 21 titles in his profession, together with a Main triumph on the US Open in 2014. He additionally gained Olympic silver in doubles in 2020 and secured a career-high world rating of No. 3 in 2018.
The Croat spoke concerning the 2014 US Open ultimate and mentioned that it was probably the most particular moments in his profession. He defeated Kei Nishikori in straight units to win his first Grand Slam title, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
“It’s nonetheless probably the most particular moments of my life. That run felt like the whole lot got here collectively, particularly in direction of the top – bodily, mentally, technically. I used to be within the zone, taking part in my greatest tennis, and to carry a Grand Slam trophy is one thing you always remember,” Marin Cilic mentioned
“You prepare all of your life, dedicate the whole lot to realize one thing like that, and contemplating the competitors you might be in, you begin to assume, is that going to occur ever. After I look again, it provides me a number of satisfaction and in addition motivation, figuring out what’s attainable when the whole lot aligns,” he added
“I had horrible blisters within the 2017 ultimate” – Marin Cilic reveals the true cause behind his 2017 Wimbledon ultimate loss to Roger Federer
Most tennis followers could be unaware, however Marin Cilic additionally reached the Wimbledon finals in 2017. After defeating four-seeded gamers en path to the ultimate, he fell prey to the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer.
Wanting again on one of many hardest matches of his profession, the Croat revealed how blisters left him unable to compete at full power within the ultimate.
“In Wimbledon, sadly, I had horrible blisters within the ultimate, which constrained me in my motion, and when you find yourself not even near 100% health-wise, your likelihood is very slim,” Marin Cilic mentioned
Cilic additionally reached the Queen’s Membership Championships ultimate in 2017, however Feliciano Lopez defeated him in a gripping encounter. He certified for the ATP Finals this yr, however could not make it previous the group stage in opposition to Roger Federer, Jack Sock, and Alexander Zverev.
The 37-year-old not too long ago featured on the 2025 Helsinki Challenger. After cruising previous Benjamin Hassan and Stefano Napolitano within the preliminary few rounds, he was eradicated by Otto Virtanen within the quarterfinals.
Edited by Aman Mohamed