At an age two times his international rating of 17, Marin Cilic discovered Croatia’s 2018 and 2022 soccer World Cup appearing inspiring. “Generally, Croatians are very competitive by nature, you know sporting nature,” he mentioned.
The top-ranked Croatian tennis professional himself is a smart recommend of that observation. For over 20 years, Cilic has epitomized that aggressive spirit—a Grand Slam large stamping his foot on the 2014 US Open, a 20-time titlist showing his craft at the ATP Tour since 2005.
He’s nonetheless serving bombs and shattering the traces in 2023, proof being his begin to the recent 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 go back to Pune after 2018.
Since incomes a spot within the height 50 in 2008—the 12 months earlier than he gained his 2nd ATP identify in Chennai beating Somdev Devvarman within the ultimate—Cilic has no longer been driven out of it. From 2016 to 2019, he was once a few of the international’s height 10, surging to No 3 in 2018. In the brutal international of recent tennis, this is unbelievable consistency.
“When you look at my overall career progress, it was fantastic,” Cilic mentioned. “If I was able to back that up with better performances at Masters 1000 tournaments, I’d say my career would be even better. But I’m so happy with my performances at Grand Slams. I managed to play all of them really, really consistently well over the years, and that has been the pillar of my success.”
Cilic is a name no rival would want to see next to him in the draw. Even GOAT-contenders Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the recently retired Roger Federer. Cilic has beaten all three at least once, the latter two at Slams. The 2014 US Open champion also boasts of eight quarter-final, three semi-final and two final appearances in Majors. In an era of the Big Three stranglehold, that is an impressive CV.
Does he rue his luck or feel fortunate to do battle in the times of these titans?
“I don’t know,” he smiled. “If I was in the era prior, who knows! But it’s difficult to pick.
“I was at home for Christmas, playing some tennis with my nephews on the court in the backyard I grew up in. The first thing I thought was, as a kid it was my dream to play at Wimbledon or enter the top 100. I had no idea what’s out there in the open world. So, for me, it’s so many dreams coming true during my career. I can’t say I was not fortunate enough.”
Not that he’s close to stopping giving Grand Slam glory more shots. 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 big-serving Croatian has always had the game for hard courts and grass, and broke through on clay last year to become just the fifth active male player to reach the last four of all Slams.
Cilic said while he grew up playing on clay courts, he felt a solid connection with the dirt only a few years ago. For him, the key to developing an all-court game has been as much about observing as practicing.
“I found a great feel on how to play and want to play (on clay) maybe five-six years ago. And I enjoyed it. It’s about learning and understanding how to play… watching guys like Rafa, many of the Spanish and South American guys who play great tennis on clay, and soaking up those things,” he said.
“Almost getting to the French Open final gave me great satisfaction that I’m still able to do it and that there are still openings for me.”
It got here after a few seasons of, as Cilic places it, “reinventing myself, discovering new tactics to do issues” on the back of patchy 2020 and 2021 that dragged him down to the mid-40s ranking despite winning two titles in 2021. The “positivity” was back in 2022, and so is the belief going into the 2023 season to kick on.
“This later a part of my profession, I nonetheless have that enthusiasm, that motivation to stay going,” he said. “Not to mention, ‘a pair extra years and I’m high quality’. I’m feeling truly motivated to do one thing nice.”