Marin Cilić

[Lucas]

[Barty]

Finał w Queens Club.




28-letni Chorwat kontynuował dobre występy na trawie po osiągnięciu półfinału w Holandii. W Londynie musiał jednak uznać wyższość Feliciano Lopeza. Był to 29. zawodowy finał Cilica (17-12).

Marin Cilić - przegrane finały (12):
2017 (1) Queens
2016 (2) Genewa, Marsylia
2014 (1) Rotterdam
2013 (1) Londyn/Queen's Club
2012 (1) Monachium
2011 (3) Pekin, Umag, Marsylia
2010 (1) Monachium
2009 (2) Wiedeń, Pekin

[Lucas]

[Damian]

Dangerous Cilic Into Wimbledon QFs Again

Spoiler:

Cilic will play Nadal or Muller on Wednesday
Marin Cilic is roaming through The Championships draw with a menacing, confident intent. Through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the fourth straight year, the Croatian has yet to drop a set in four completed matches.
The seventh-seeded Croatian dominated Spanish No. 18 seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 on Monday, breaking serve seven times. Cilic was almost perfect on serve in the third set, but lost three straight points at 5-2, 40/0 as he closed on his 25th match win at the All England Club.
“My confidence is quite high, considering I've been playing really well over the past few weeks,” said Cilic. “I’m really satisfied everything is working extremely well. My level is quite solid It's probably not the best possible but definitely really, really solid, and I’m returning well and serving well. I'm moving on the court really well too.
Cilic capitalised on the second serve of Bautista Agut (winning 12 of 15 return points) and 15 of 18 points at the net for victory in one hour and 41 minutes. He will now hope to go one round better than in 2014-15 (l. to Djokovic both times) and last year against Federer, when he held a two sets to love lead and failed to convert three match point chances in the fourth set.
Cilic has lost his serve on five occasions over the past eight days – twice against Florian Mayer in the second round, twice against Steve Johnson in the third round and once against Bautista Agut, when he was leading 4-1 in the second set.
Under coach Jonas Bjorkman, a fine competitor as a singles or doubles player on grass courts, Cilic admitted he has “improved how he prepares for matches and following up on his big serve.”
The 28 year old Cilic has a 10-2 record on grass courts in recent weeks (27-13 overall for 2017), including a runner-up finish at the Aegon Championships, where he failed to convert a match point chance against Feliciano Lopez in the final.
Cilic will next challenge No. 16 seed Gilles Muller on Wednesday. Muller beat fourth seed and two-time former titlist Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 in four hours and 48 minutes on Centre Court late evening. Read Match Report

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cil ... 17-monday2

[DUN I LOVE]

Wimbledon 2017: upragniony półfinał!


Daily Express

Po 3 przegranych ćwierćfinałach Wimbledonu z rzędu, Marin wreszcie zameldował się w gronie 4 najlepszych graczy Mistrzostw. Mistrz US Open 2014 zagra w swoim 4. wielkoszlemowym półfinale (1-2).

[Damian]

Cilic Breaks Through To First Wimbledon SF

Spoiler:

Croatian will next face Querrey
After his first-round match at The Championships, Marin Cilic said that he might be playing the best he's ever played on the grass courts at Wimbledon. Nine days later, many fans and observers are starting to agree.
The seventh-seeded Cilic marched into his first Wimbledon semi-final on Wednesday, breaking Gilles Muller three times to knock out the 34-year-old left-hander 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 on No. 1 Court.
Cilic reaches the semi-finals for the first time in his 11th appearance. His coach Jonas Bjorkman broke through to the Wimbledon semi-finals during his 13th showing.
Most attempts before reaching first Wimbledon semi-final (Open Era)
Jonas Bjorkman
13
Marin Cilic
11
Tommy Haas
11
Sam Querrey
10
Rainer Schuettler
10
The 6'6” Croatian has now reached four Grand Slam semi-finals: He fell at 2010 Australian Open to Andy Murray and at 2015 US Open to Novak Djokovic. But at 2014 US Open, Cilic outplayed Djokovic and went on to beat Kei Nishikori for his maiden Grand Slam title.
The 28-year-old Cilic will look to reach his second Grand Slam final when he faces another first-time Wimbledon semi-finalist. Cilic will play 24th seed Sam Querrey of the U.S., who upset World No. 1 and defending champion Andy Murray 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1 in two hours and 42 minutes on Wednesday.

The win marks the second consecutive year Querrey has upset a member of the “Big Four” at Wimbledon. Last year, the right-hander shocked then-defending champion Djokovic in the third round. Cilic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-0, and three of their four match-ups have taken place on grass.
Cilic was spared facing a member of the “Big Four” on Wednesday, thanks to the performance of Muller's career, when he knocked out two-time champion Rafael Nadal in an epic match that concluded 15-13 in the fifth set. Observers thought Muller might feel the effects of the four-hour and 47-minute match during his quarter-final against Cilic, but Muller picked up right where he finished.
2017 grass court match-wins (Tour-level)
Marin Cilic
11-2
Gilles Muller
11-2
Roger Federer
9-1
Feliciano Lopez
9-2
Alexander Zverev
9-3
HOW THE MATCH UNFOLDED
The left-hander, playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, broke first when he lashed a forehand winner down the line to lead 4-3 in the first set. He'd break again to take the opener after only 33 minutes.
But Cilic, who had fallen in the Wimbledon quarter-finals the past three years, rebounded well. He held serve throughout the second set and controlled his nerves in the tie-break. Muller, after having saved a set point at 5/6, double faulted at 6/6 to give Cilic another set point, which Cilic converted with a lunging forehand pass.
“When I won the second set, I felt that I was the one who just started to play a little bit better. I was the one who started to make a little bit more pressure and I was more into Gilles' service games,” Cilic said.
Cilic looked to be taking control in the third. He held throughout and broke for the first time at 6-5. During that service break, Cilic ended a remarkable streak of Muller's. Up until that game, which included 15 Muller service games and the second-set tie-break, the left-hander had not lost a point while serving into the ad court.
Down two sets to one, though, Muller did not fade. The two-time ATP World Tour titlist this season broke Cilic at 5-5 and continued to mix up his serve effectively. The Luxembourg left-hander won eight of the final 10 points in the fourth set to force a decider.
“I just reset myself a little bit after the fourth set. I didn't want to change anything because I didn't play too bad a set, and I just continued on that path,” Cilic said.
But in the final set, Cilic seized control of the match and didn't let go. He broke Muller twice and converted his first match point to advance.
“I think I started out pretty good on the first set... Marin was able to win the second set, then started playing better. He was a better player in the fourth set for sure. He was dominating... Somehow I stayed in there and managed to win it. I don't know how,” Muller said. “Then what was very tough was the beginning of the fifth set. He played a phenomenal game in the beginning to break me. It was tough to take that because that's not the way you want to start out a fifth set, especially if you just won the fourth, run behind the score all the time. He was just too good at the end.”
Cilic becomes the third Croatian man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open Era after Goran Ivanisevic (1990, 1992, 1994-95, 1998, 2001) and Mario Ancic (2004).

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/mul ... on-2017-qf

[Lucas]

[Lucas]

[DUN I LOVE]

Wimbledon 2017: Marin wraca do wielkoszlemowego finału!


earnthenecklace

28-letni Chorwat po raz pierwszy zagra o tytuł w Wimbledonie. Mistrz US Open został drugim Chorwatem (po Goranie Ivaniseviciu), który co najmniej 2 razy wystąpi w finale WS.

[Del Fed]

Cilic Overcomes Querrey To Reach Wimbledon Final

Spoiler:

Croatian looks to become the first seventh seed to capture the Wimbledon trophy

Marin Cilic grit his teeth and battled to overcome a mental struggle on Friday at The Championships to move to within one match win of a second major trophy. The Croatian will look to emulate his former coach, 2001 wild-card champion Goran Ivanisevic, when he plays seven-time former titlist Roger Federer for the sport’s ultimate prize.

Cilic, one of the cleanest hitters on the ATP World Tour, denied the United States its first finalist since Andy Roddick in 2009, when the seventh-seeded Croatian defeated No. 24 seed Sam Querrey 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 in two hours and 56 minutes. It was their third meeting at the All England Club, which includes Cilic beating Querrey 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(3), 17-15 in the 2012 Wimbledon third round.

The 28-year-old Cilic, with his coach Jonas Bjorkman, will now prepare for his first Wimbledon final on Sunday.

Cilic has a 1-6 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer

“It's definitely great for me to be in the final of a Grand Slam again," said Cilic. "I felt that my level of tennis in the past several weeks is really on a high level, and that has given me a lot of consistency with my mindset. Obviously, it's going to be a big match for me. But it's great thing that I have already played one Grand Slam final, and I believe it's going to be easier to prepare.

“It would mean absolutely a world to me [to lift the trophy]. I feel that when I won the US Open in '14, it just opened so many possibilities in my mind for the rest of my career. To be able to do it again would definitely mean, I would say, even more because I know how much it meant for me to win that first one. It would be absolutely a dream come true to win Wimbledon here.”

Cilic went 7-8 in tour-level matches by early May, prior to winning the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open (d. Raonic). Now 29-13 on the season, the Croatian has gone 12-2 on grass courts in recent weeks, including a runner-up finish to Feliciano Lopez at the Aegon Championships.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cil ... 17-friday2

[DUN I LOVE]

Za 11. podejściem do Wimbledonu Marin osiągnął finał. Żaden z finalistów tego turnieju z przeszłości nie czekał tak długo na zaszczyt gry o najsłynniejsze tenisowe trofeum na świecie.

Marin Cilić - 11
Pat Rafter - 8
Tomas Berdych - 7
Novak Djoković - 7
Ivan Lendl - 7
Chris Lewis - 7
Andy Murray - 7
Mark Philippoussis - 7
Cedric Pioline - 7
Roscoe Tanner - 7
MaliVai Washington - 7

[Damian]

Cilic: Wimbledon Title Would Be "Dream Come True"

Spoiler:

Changes bring Croatian to Sunday’s final against Federer

Marin Cilic has a keen awareness of the history of the Wimbledon Championships. His former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, made headlines for Croatia by winning Wimbledon in 2001 and Cilic can vividly recall every detail.

“Everyone knows where they were when Goran played,” said Cilic. “I was in a tennis summer camp, close to my hometown. We watched like a big group of children. It was a big celebration. I was still a kid, not even 13 years old. I was just enjoying playing tennis.”
Cilic is playing well enough to produce similar memories for kids in Croatia. He’s won more grass-court matches than anyone on tour this season, reaching the semi-finals at the Ricoh Open and finishing runner-up at the Aegon Championships (l. Lopez) prior to his Wimbledon run. His serve has also arguably been the strongest shot of the tournament. Cilic has hit 127 aces this fortnight and routinely used first-serves to set up forehand winners.
He credited small changes he made during the clay-court season with coach Jonas Bjorkman to his big results over the past few months. Cilic has gone 23-6 since April and prevailed on clay this April in Istanbul (d. Raonic).
“It's not just one detail. It is the work and process that goes on for weeks,” said Cilic. “I made little changes with my own team, in the training routine, preparations for matches. I believe with that consistency in the training program and in the matches, it helped me to be a little bit more stronger mentally.
“I was feeling that I could depend a lot on my own game. When I had to produce good tennis, I was producing it,” he added. “That was obviously giving me a lot of confidence.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Wimbledon Final Preview: Federer vs. Cilic

Cilic trails Federer 1-6 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head Series, but his lone win was one of the most memorable in his career. The Croatian produced a flawless performance in the 2014 US Open semi-finals to defeat Federer in straight sets and eventually win to his maiden Grand Slam title. Federer reflected on Friday that the match was one of the finest performances anyone has put in against him.
Some of Cilic’s most painful losses have also come against Federer, though. He failed to convert on three match points against the Swiss star in their 2016 Wimbledon quarter-final and ultimately lost in five sets. Although it was a difficult defeat to swallow, Cilic said the experience made him a better player.
"Obviously it's tough when you're losing, but the losses are giving you a better picture, a clearer picture, compared to when you are winning. When you are winning, everything is great. You don't look too much on the bad stuff,” said Cilic. "I’ve matured a little bit more in dealing with losses, especially on a big stage and in big tournaments. I feel just taking small details out of those matches have helped me to become better and use them in situations when I see them again."
Utilising those past experiences have helped Cilic break past quarter-final finishes at Wimbledon in the past three years and into his second Grand Slam final. Although he’s already lifted one Slam trophy before, he said defeating Federer on Sunday would be the greatest moment of his career.
“It would absolutely mean the world to me,” said Cilic. “When I won the US Open, it opened so many possibilities in my mind for the rest of my career. To be able to do it again would mean even more because I know how much it meant for me to win that first one. It would be a dream come true to win Wimbledon.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cil ... 17-preview

[DUN I LOVE]

Finał Wimbledonu 2017.


The Independent

Podobnie jak 2 tygodnie temu w Queens, także i na Wimbledonie 28-letni Chorwat osiągnął finał, gdzie nie był w stanie postawić kropki nad i. Drugi finał WS w karierze Marina i trzydziesty ogółem (17-13).

Marin Cilić - przegrane finały (13):
2017 (2) Wimbledon, Queens
2016 (2) Genewa, Marsylia
2014 (1) Rotterdam
2013 (1) Londyn/Queen's Club
2012 (1) Monachium
2011 (3) Pekin, Umag, Marsylia
2010 (1) Monachium
2009 (2) Wiedeń, Pekin

[Damian]

Marin's 30-Hour Plan Not Enough

Spoiler:

Croatian determined to quickly move on from Wimbledon loss
Marin Cilic’s mind was willing, but his body was not. After playing some of the best tennis of his career to reach the Wimbledon final, a blister on his foot and the impeccable play of Roger Federer quickly sent him packing on Sunday.
The Croatian held three match points on the Swiss maestro when they played in the 2016 Wimbledon quarter-finals, but today was a different story as Cilic’s foot issue left him unable to push off on his serve or groundstrokes. He averaged 21 aces per match heading into the final, but hit just five against Federer. Cilic also hit just 16 winners in the final, compared to an average of 55 winners in his first six rounds. The frustration literally brought Cilic to tears as Federer cruised to a historic eighth title at the All England Club.
“It was definitely an unfortunate day for it to happen. I got a really bad blister. I even felt it in the match with Sam Querrey in the semis. Fluid just came down under my callous in the foot,” said Cilic. “I want to thank the physios here. They helped. They were almost constantly with me the past 30 hours. They did as much as they could, but unfortunately I still felt the pain. Every time I had to do a fast reaction or fast change of movement, I was unable to do that.
“It was obviously very tough emotionally because I know how much I went through the last few months in preparation for everything. It was also tough because of my own team. They did so much for me. I just felt it was really bad luck,” he added. “But I really wanted to give my best and try as much as I could.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How The 2017 Wimbledon Final Was Won
Despite his blister woes, Cilic was also quick to praise Federer for his play throughout the fortnight. He complimented the eight-time champion on producing some of the best tennis of his career and said that Federer is equally as impressive off the court.
“I think his ability and his desire to continue to improve is definitely one of the best in the game. Even at his age now, he's still improving and challenging himself to get better. All credit to him and his team for finding ways to get him to another level,” said Cilic. “He’s really a great gentleman and one of the biggest ambassadors of tennis.”
Cilic will try to focus on the positives of the past two weeks as he looks ahead to the U.S. hard-court season. Having won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open (d. Nishikori) and his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown last year in Cincinnati (d. Murray), he knows that he has the ability for more big results stateside. Experiencing success on multiple surfaces this year, including a clay-court title this April in Istanbul (d. Raonic), has given him the belief that he can win any match he plays.
“I know that these last two weeks have been great tennis from me. My level was in a position where it hasn't been before on grass, so I'm extremely satisfied with that. This will give me much more confidence and much more strength for the rest of the year,” said Cilic. “I know that my level can go even higher, so that is something that I'm looking forward to and which is definitely making me more happy. The loss today is obviously a sad one, a devastating one, but I'm still very proud and thankful for all of my team that helped me to get here.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cil ... 7-reaction

[Damian]

[Lucas]

[Lucas]

Marin Cilić: Cały czas czułem ból

Spoiler:

Marin Cilić nie miał w niedzielnym finale Wimbledonu 2017 żadnych szans w pojedynku z Rogerem Federerem. Na pomeczowej konferencji Chorwat opowiedział o problemach zdrowotnych, które uniemożliwiły mu walkę o tytuł.

To z pewnością nie był właściwy dzień, aby coś takiego mogło się wydarzyć. Miałem bardzo duży odcisk, który dał mi się we znaki już podczas półfinałowego meczu z Samem Querreyem. Sporo płynu odłożyło się w dolnej części stopy i mogę tylko podziękować fizjoterapeutom, którzy opiekowali się mną przez ostatnie 30 godzin. Zrobili wszystko, co mogli, ale cały czas czułem ból - wyznał Marin Cilić.

Chorwat nie był w stanie skutecznie rywalizować z Rogerem Federerem, któremu uległ ostatecznie w finale Wimbledonu 2017 3:6, 1:6, 4:6. Po rozegraniu trzech gemów drugiego seta triumfator US Open 2014 rozpłakał się podczas zmiany stron, ponieważ bardzo chciał walczyć o tytuł.
- To było dla mnie bardzo trudne pod względem emocjonalnym, ponieważ zdałem sobie sprawę z tego, jak ciężko w ostatnich miesiącach się przygotowywałem. Cierpiałem także z powodu mojego sztabu, który tyle dla mnie zrobił w ostatnim czasie. To był prawdziwy pech. Bardzo chciałem dać z siebie wszystko - powiedział Cilić.

Finalista Wimbledonu 2017 jest pełen podziwu dla Federera. - Jego zdolność i poświęcenie do stałego doskonalenia się jest jedną z najlepszych w tenisie. Pomimo wieku ciągle się poprawia. Jestem pełen podziwu dla niego i jego sztabu za to, że są w stanie doprowadzić Rogera na jeszcze wyższy poziom. To prawdziwy dżentelmen i ambasador tenisa - dodał urodzony w Medziugorie 28-latek.

Mimo porażki w finale londyńskiego turnieju wielkoszlemowego Cilić jest zadowolony z poziomu tenisa, jaki prezentował na wimbledońskich trawnikach. - W ciągu dwóch tygodni pokazałem wspaniały tenis. Prezentowałem poziom, jakiego nigdy nie osiągnąłem na trawie, dlatego jestem z tego usatysfakcjonowany. To z pewnością doda mi sporo wiary w siebie na dalszą część sezonu - zakończył szósty singlista świata.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/69959 ... czulem-bol

[Lucas]

Konferencja po wygranej 1 rundzie USO 17`

Spoiler:

Q. Took a set from you. Bit of a battle. You talked about the fact you hadn't had much matchplay. How did it feel to be back out in tournament tennis? How is the abductor feeling?

MARIN CILIC: Everything feels okay physically. I'm very happy with that. That's the number one thing.
On the court obviously I felt, as well, that I'm just lacking a little bit of that consistency point after point, to be continuing with my aggression, with my tennis.
Just today I felt that after those first two sets, which were quite good, considering I haven't played, just dropped little bit with my game. He started to swing little bit more, obviously two sets to love down.
It was a good fight towards the end of the match. Also I was not running away to try to shorten up the points. I was actually feeling that could be also quite good for me to get in some rallies, battle it out, just mentally-wise to get myself in a good position.
You know, feeling quite positive with first round. Not the best as I would want, but still in a good way, you know, keeping myself positive.
Q. Is the abductor still an issue for you?

MARIN CILIC: No, actually not. Last I would say two, three weeks it's not bothering me. But last eight, nine days I'm practicing full without thinking about it. That's quite good.
With this first match out of the way, I think that just resolves everything.
Q. Do you understand the reasoning of the Grand Slam Committee rule which moved you, after Murray dropped out, from a match with Simon to this match? How did you react to all that? Did it matter?

MARIN CILIC: You know, it's in the rules. Still I had couple days to adjust on that. Actually few guys moved, few guys in the draw moved.
That's the way I think, you know, it's fair to everyone. I think the rule is like that. You have to follow it in that way. It didn't bother me much in my preparation. Obviously a little bit of a different matchup. Definitely I would rather play Tennys than Gilles in first round, as I often had some difficult battles with Gilles. Still, would have been good to play him, too.
Q. When Murray did withdraw after the draw was already set, what went through your mind? Did that change your outlook at all pertaining to the overall draw you're in?

MARIN CILIC: Well, it didn't change much. Basically still my biggest focus is on myself, to get into good match play, to get my game on a good level. I think that's my first step.
After that, obviously I'm going to be looking into more opportunities. Obviously Andy is not playing. That bottom part of the draw is a little bit more open there. I was also initially. Just now in a different quarter.
I think it's very positive in all kinds of ways. Still focusing on myself to, you know, get to the good form and to try to pass first couple rounds, then I think my tennis is going to get better.
Q. Was it difficult for you to recover from the last final in Wimbledon, especially mentally?

MARIN CILIC: If you're asking if I was down, I wasn't feeling disappointed too much. I knew that, okay, I was not physically 100% in that final. That was just, you know, tough for me to handle, especially in that moment. But I took all positives out of it. Up to the end of Wimbledon, I had really consistent play, maybe the best ever in my career. So that's extremely positive for me.
Now I'm looking to, you know, build on that. Reaching another Grand Slam final is big motivation for me. I'm looking obviously forward to get to my good form, keep it month after month. Hopefully next 12, 18 months I can be looking back with some great results, as well.
Q. With so many top players pulling out, Rafa and Roger on the other half of the draw, are you looking at this any differently, and opportunity?

MARIN CILIC: Yeah, obviously it is. It is great opportunity, especially for all of us guys in the bottom half of the draw. It's much more open now. Definitely there is a lot of opportunity.
Still feeling a little bit different than I would have felt, for example, if this would have happened in Wimbledon or maybe French Open, because here I felt that even though Wimbledon wasn't too long ago, I still didn't have any matches after that. I had to take a long break without tennis, without running. So just pushed me back a bit.
I'm still in focus of regaining that form. That's my main focus. The opportunities are there. It's just whether to be ready or not.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv ... tml?chip=8

[Damian]

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: Marin Cilic, the 2014 champion, will attempt to become the first player in the Open Era to win the US Open title with no matches since Wimbledon. Cilic missed Montreal and Cincinnati due to an adductor injury.

[DUN I LOVE]

Marin w Top-5 po raz pierwszy w karierze. Ranking godny posiadacza tytułu WS.