Marin Cilić

[Joao]

Marin Cilić



Państwo: Chorwacja
Miejsce zamieszkania: Monte Carlo
Data i miejsce urodzenia: 28 września 1988, Medziugorie
Wzrost: 198 cm
Masa ciała: 82 kg
Gra praworęczna, oburęczny backhand
Status profesjonalny: 2005

[jaccol55]

Marin Cilić - osiągnięcia

Tytuły w singlu (12)
2014 (3) US Open, Delray Beach, Zagrzeb
2013 (1) Zagrzeb (Indoor/Hard)
2012 (2) Umag, Londyn/Queens Club
2011 (1) Petersburg
2010 (2) Zagrzeb, Chennai (Madras)
2009 (2) Zagrzeb, Chennai (Madras)
2008 (1) New Haven

Finały w singlu (9)
2014 (1) Rotterdam
2013 (1) London / Queen's Club
2012 (1) Monachium
2011 (2) Marsylia, Umag, Pekin
2010 (1) Monachium
2009 (2) Wiedeń, Pekin

Finały w deblu (1)
2011 Umag

[Art]

#1) New Haven 2008
R64 Bye
R32 Viktor Troicki (SRB) 2-1 RET
R16 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Q Igor Andreev (RUS) 6-3, 6-2
S Luka Gregorc (SLO) 6-3, 6-3
W Mardy Fish (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

#2) Chennai 2009
R32 Martin, Alberto (ESP) 6-4 6-4
R16 Istomin, Denis (UZB) 6-0 6-4
Q Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) 6-4 0-6 6-4
SF Granollers, Marcel (ESP) 6-4 6-3
F Devvarman, Somdev (IND) 6-4 7-6(3)

#3) Zagrzeb 2009
R32 Clement, Arnaud (FRA 6-4 6-3
R16 Serra, Florent (FRA) 6-2 7-5
Q Veic, Antonio (CRO) 6-2 7-6(6)
S Troicki, Viktor (SRB) 6-2 7-5
W Ancic, Mario (CRO) 6-3 6-4

#4) Chennai 2010
R1: Kunitsyn RUS 62 64
R2: Granollers ESP 67(3) 63 64
Q: Giraldo COL 76(3) 61
S: Tipsarevic 61 63
F: Wawrinka 76(2) 76(3)

#5) Zagrzeb 2010
R32 Hajek 62 62
R16 Koellerer 62 61
QF Karlović [7] 76 64
SF Melzer [3] 76 64
F Berrer 64 67 63

#6) Petersburg 2011

R32 [Q] Siergiej Bubka (UKR) 6-4 7-6(1)
R16 Somdev Devvarman (IND) 5-7 6-1 6-3
QF Andreas Seppi (ITA) 4-6 7-6(8) 6-4
SF [5] Michaił Jużny (RUS) 6-3 6-4
F [2] Janko Tipsarević (SRB) 6-3 3-6 6-2

[Jacuszyn]

31.10.2009-"100"zwycięstw Cilicia w turniejach ATP

Marin pokonując w półfinale turnieju w Wiedniu P.Kohlschreibera 6:4,7:6,odniósł swoje setne zwycięstwo w turnieju ATP:) gratulacje

[jaccol55]

Cilic aims for top ten breakthrough

Marin Cilic has vowed to give chase to breakaway Argentine Juan Del Potro when the new ATP season starts in little more than a fortnight.

The Croatian who finished 2009 on 14th, faded in the closing stages as he struggled for a long-odds place in the London year-end final. But while Cilic was having his troubles, fellow 21-year-old Del Potro was lifting his game, reaching the final of the World Tour Finals, and setting himself up for a fast start to 2010.

"He beat me in New York and in Melbourne, I had a big lead in that match in Flushing, but when he caught up to me, I was left without an answer," complained Cilic of his rival. "We've always been same
path, but he matured physically faster than me."

Cilic began 2009 with a Chennai title but confesses that his mid-season was more of a swoon than anything else. "If I divide season in four pieces, first and last one were great, but middle ones could have been better," said the player who won two titles in January and February but lost autumn title shots in Vienna and Beijing.

The promising youngster says that he will try to focus on his ranking. "I was circling around 15th most of the year but when I started to think about breaking the top, I had problems with motivation and tiredness."

Cilic is working on lifting his fitness in the off season. "When I reach good level, everything will be better. I want to be able to play three or four weeks in a row."

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20091 ... eakthrough

[Joao]

Cilić w półfinale, ograł Roddicka!

Sensacyjnie rozpoczął się ćwierćfinał panów w wielkoszlemowym turnieju Australian Open. Marin Cilić rozprawił się z Andy Roddickiem i to właśnie Chorwat awansował do półfinału.

Marin Cilić po raz kolejny zagrał pięciosetowy bój. Po walce w IV rundzie z Juanem Martinem del Potro, czas przyszedł na rozprawienie się z wyżej notowanym Andy Roddick'em.

Roddick miał problemy z prawym ramieniem jeszcze w meczu z Fernando Gonzalezem. Gdy musiał uderzyć wysoki forhend Amerykanin poczuł ostry ból, a po pierwszym secie z Cilicem, miał on także mrowienie w całej ręce. Nie był to dobry znak na kolejne sety spotkania ćwierćfinałowego.

Roddick jest jednym z weteranów, ma bogate doświadczenie, na które należy zwrócić uwagę. Cilic, z drugiej strony, startuje dopiero w swoim trzecim Australian Open.

Przez całą swoją karierę, Roddick pracował z różnymi trenerami, starając się znaleźć sposób, by wygrywać wielkoszlemowe turnieje. Wielu trenerów próbowało poprawić styl gry Amerykanina, ale ich poprawki wchodziły w życie krótko, a Roddick powracał zawsze do dawnych zwyczajów. Potem przyszedł Larry Stefanki.

Stefankowi udało się pobudzić Roddicka do walki i odzyskanie motywacji. 18 miesięcy temu Amerykanin był bliski odłożenia rakiety, lecz Roddick teraz gra z kontrolowaną agresją, ma wiele planów gry i ponownie dał o sobie znać jako zagrożenie na wielkich turniejach.

Roddick bardzo dobrze grał w poprzednich rundach, dopóki po drugiej stronie siatki nie stanął 22-letni Chorwat, który tak jak Amerykanin - znakomicie serwuje, gra widowiskowy i siłowy tenis.

Cilić myśli teraz o swoim półfinałowym meczu, natomiast Roddick uda się do lekarza, aby dowiedzieć się dokładnie, co jest przyczyną bólu w ramieniu.

"Wszystko było dobrze aż do meczu z Gonzalezem", powiedział Roddick. "Jednak nie sądzę, że ten ból to oznaka czegoś groźnego."

W drodze do ćwierćfinału Marin Cilić pokonał rozstawionego z numerem czwartym - Juana Martina del Potro. Teraz Chorwat w walce o finał zmierzy się ze zwycięzcą meczu: Andy Murray kontra Rafael Nadal.

Wyniki 1/4 finału:
[14] M Cilic (CRO) d [7] A Roddick (USA) 76(4) 63 36 26 63

http://www.tenis.sport24.pl/news/show/1 ... l-roddicka

[Jacuszyn]

01.02.2010 - Marin Cilić w Top-10 rankingu ATP!



Gratulacje Marin!

[Joao]

Goran Ivanisevic trenerem Marina Cilicia

Najlepszy w historii chorwacki tenisista Goran Ivanisevic wraca do sportu. Będzie trenerem Marina Cilicia, który w najnowszym notowaniu światowego rankingu awansował z 14. na 10. pozycję.

"To wielki zaszczyt współpracować z Goranem" - powiedział w poniedziałek w Zagrzebiu Cilic, który w zakończonym w niedzielę wielkoszlemowym Australian Open dotarł do półfinału.

Największym sukcesem 38-letniego obecnie Ivanisevica był triumf w Wimbledonie w 2001 roku. Cztery lata później sięgnął z reprezentacją po Puchar Davisa. W 2006 roku miał zostać kapitanem daviscupowej drużyny, ale nie doszedł do porozumienia z władzami federacji. Wtedy deklarował, że "opuszcza tenis na długi czas".

http://sport.interia.pl/tenis/news/gora ... 1433122,27

[jaccol55]

Composure of Marin Cilic will pose problems for Andy Murray

Marin Cilic was 15 years old when he arrived at the academy run by Bob Brett in San Remo, Italy, at the insistence of Goran Ivanisevic.

Cilic stayed a week. Six months later, he was back, lasted a month and the seeds of a partnership were sown. “I’m fortunate to work with somebody like him,” Brett, the Australian, said. The feeling is mutual.

Ivanisevic swore by Brett during their four years together from 1991, to the extent that when he reached the 2001 Wimbledon final, he insisted that Brett came over to watch. It was no real surprise, therefore, that when Ivanisevic first caught sight of Cilic, the first name that sprang to mind was this high disciple of Harry Hopman, the legendary Australian coach.

Cilic has looked the part from the moment he stepped into the professional ranks, a player who did not seem to be the slightest bit fazed by the company he was destined to keep.

The fourth Croatian man to reach a grand-slam semi-final after Ivanisevic, Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic, he broke into the top 100 in October 2007 and has been in the top 20 for almost a year, establishing his credentials as the heir apparent to Ivanisevic, without the former Wimbledon champion’s mad impulses.

“He’s definitely composed,” Andy Roddick, who was on the sharp end of Cilic’s 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 victory yesterday, said. “He was the same after he had lost two sets as when he won two sets. That will definitely serve him well over his career.

"He just goes about his business, does it the right way and seems like a very hard worker. He doesn’t give you any encouragement, like feeling you are on top of him. He plays similarly to [Juan Martin] Del Potro in that he minimalises his movement because he controls the points so well.”

Words that would have sounded like sweet music to his coach.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 003270.ece

[Art]

Neil Harman's Net Post: Marin Cilic and Bob Brett - a force to be reckoned with

There were 354 points, all of them utterly absorbing, before Marin Cilic defeated Juan Martin Del Potro, a result that has only added to the fascination of Andy Murray's section of the Australian Open draw this week.

Cilic, the conqueror of Murray in straight sets in last year's US Open, has announced himself as a grand-slam contender in the mould of Goran Ivanisevic. Which is not unexpected considering it was Ivanisevic who sent Cilic to Bob Brett, his former coach, when Cilic was 15 years old. Cilic stayed for a week the first time, he would stay for ever now if he could.

Slowly but surely under the tutelage of Brett, the Australian once interviewed for the post of director of performance at the LTA but who felt the job's destiny had been decided before he had even arrived in London, Cilic has matured into a player rich in talent and of remarkable level-headedness for a 21-year-old. How he steadied his ship having lost the first and fourth sets to Del Potro, was inspirational. There are no Three Gorans here to write home about. Just one Marin.

Brett, who coached Ivanisevic through those times when he was regarded as a serial grand slam underachiever, pins great faith in Cilic but does so in his usual understated manner. Not for Brett the desire for a headline, but only to do well by any player who wants to work with him. Look at Cilic against Del Potro and you understand what the partnership is all about.

Brett is unashamedly old school. He learned the art of man-management at the knee of Harry Hopman, the legendary Australian former Davis Cup captain who ran a regime in the 1950s and 60s that 'his' players still talk about in reverential tones. "There is no question about the influence of Hopman," Brett said. "I think it can well be summed up in the words of Kipling on Centre Court at Wimbledon about treating the twin imposters of triumph and disaster just the same.

"You cannot get too excited with the wins and equally, you should not get too despondent after the losses. It is about working out what is the next step forward in either case and trying to get better. It is about imagination, curiosity, and working hard. With Marin, as with any player I have worked with, you just try to add bits as you go along, but you need to right guy to work with. A coach cannot make a backhand passing shot at break point down, that is the player's task. I regard myself as very lucky."

Which, of course, is understating the job Brett has done. Not only does he still run an academy in San Remo, he is a consultant to Tennis Canada, helping to bring the best of their nation's youth to flower. What he might have done had he been granted the reins at the LTA, we shall never know.

"All credit has to go to Marin, though," he says. "He takes the information I feed to him and it is up to him to make something out of it. It is so important for a coach to be careful. You cannot change a player too quickly, it has to be done in small steps but, equally, there is only a certain window of opportunity available because it is very difficult to change a player once he has developed a certain style."

Whether or not he wins the Australian Open, the Net Post is as certain as possible that Cilic will contest for the majors one day. His performance against Del Potro, especially in the fifth set after he had lost the fourth and the force appeared to be with the Argentine was exemplary. Brett didn't want to say as much, but he loved how his pupil responded. They are quite a pair.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 000449.ece

[jaccol55]

Marin Cilic coach Bob Brett happy to be home

TENNIS coach Bob Brett will pull the peak of his cap down a fraction lower tonight, content to be just another anonymous face in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

While Brett will ride every shot with his man, Marin Cilic, in his semi-final battle against Scot Andy Murray, the eyes won't betray his emotions.

The experienced Australian coach, whose mother lives in Frankston, loves coming home.

And, while it is sweeter that Croatian Cilic has already reached a career-high in Melbourne, the venue is really just a coincidence. "It's great coming back to Melbourne, but it's nice for him to win in any arena. It's all about him," Brett said yesterday.

"He has got the talent, he does all the work. He puts the ball in the court when it counts."

So how does he prepare the 21-year-old after a gruelling schedule to face the fresher Murray?

"He has worked very hard and he's well prepared for the event," Brett said.

"You cannot prepare for every single circumstance, but he's as well prepared as he can possibly be. He would have gained more confidence from getting through those (three five-set) matches which maybe a year ago he was losing. A lot of it becomes psychological how the recovery is. But in the end nobody is going to worry whether someone is tired or not.

"You can produce this statistic or that, but in the end it's who's winning the match and there are no excuses. Go out on the court and give your best.

"Today is very light (practice) as it is the other days because nothing gets changed.

"He has come through (the draw) and he has played some great tennis."

On Cilic's on-court composure for someone so young, Brett said: "It's just the way he is. That's his character, very disciplined. It's self-discipline, it's not imposed on him by anyone else. There's a quiet confidence, continually working to become better.

"He has played some really good tennis these last 10 days.

"It has been something that he has continued since the US Open and he has managed to serve well when he needed to."

While Brett played down his role in the progression of Cilic to the edge of the world's top 10, the Croat is full of gratitude for the coach who's endeavouring to steer him to similar grand slam glory as past pupils Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic.

"He's a very good teacher," Cilic said.

"I'm with him already several years and he knows how I breathe, how I stand on the court, what things he could give me advice. So he knows me pretty well.

"Obviously, he's very experienced. He helped me a lot in this grand slam level. Without him, the achievement would be very tough to get to."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tenni ... 5824175613

[Jacuszyn]

Marin Cilic the tactician wise beyond his years

Bob Brett has seen it all before, more than once. Anyone who has coached Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, John Lloyd, Andrei Medvedev and Mario Ancic has endured enough of the vagaries of this sport not to be surprised by anything that lands at his feet.

If Marin Cilic, his latest charge, should beat Andy Murray today, Brett will be embarrassed at the plaudits; if Murray wins, he would be as delighted for him as he would be in the case of a victory for the Croat.

“I’ve learnt that you can never let jealousy enter into it,” Brett, a Melbourne native and tour coach since 1979, said. “I know how great it would be for Andy, for the game, for the project that is British tennis, for all these things should he win.

“I’m intrigued at the changes he has made to his game; he has certainly become fitter, stronger and is also playing better than he’s ever done. He has come through different phases in his game and though people have been critical of him, he is dedicated, committed and determined. He is smart enough to know what’s best for his career.”

If the sense comes through with those words that Brett would have enjoyed coaching Murray, you are probably right. He would never say so, of course, for that is not his style. He is perennially understated.

Brett would not work with anyone who did not want to do the best for himself. Cilic is the latest to have responded unequivocally to his coach’s sureness of touch. “Marin is a very disciplined person, but it is a self- discipline and not something that has been imposed on him,” Brett said. “He worked very hard preparing for this event and though you cannot be ready for every single circumstance, he is in as good a position as he could be. He’s played a lot of tennis here, but I believe he is ready to play Andy.”

Murray will be faced with a very clever player indeed. As Ivan Ljubicic, the elder statesman of the Croatian game, said in New York last summer after his compatriot’s straight-sets defeat of Murray in the fourth round of the US Open: “Marin is our tactician, a very smart guy. Whenever I play one of the young guys on the tour, I ask for his advice and he really understands the game. He gives me great tips. I’m sure that’s the influence of Bob [Brett], but he has a good head as well. The first time I watched him play, he lost one and one and I remember thinking, ‘This is it?’ He was really up and down. But that’s always the case with the big, tall guys. It takes them time to find their game, but he has found it now.”

Brett concurred: “A coach is just there to organise and make sure you don’t ruin everything, because Marin’s got all the ability and an unbelievable work ethic. He’s someone who comes to the court ready to play and wants to become better and has the passion to play the game at the highest level. What more can you ask for? A year ago, he was losing the kind of matches he’s winning now.”

Much has been made of Cilic having played three five-set matches and one of four sets to reach the semi-finals, a factor that could be to the Briton’s advantage. “Once it is decided, no one is going to worry if anyone was more tired or not,” Brett said. “There will be no excuses. He will go out and give of his best. For certain he is going to have to play some great tennis, we shall see if he can do it.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 005000.ece

[jaccol55]

Rising star Marin Cilic grins and bears it

JUDGING by his deadpan demeanour on court, it takes a lot to make Marin Cilic smile.

But the gigantic young Croatian finally cracked it for a grin last night as the Rod Laver Arena crowd acknowledged what might be the birth of the next new star.

Cilic, 21, one of the burgeoning breed of ruckman-sized heavy hitters who have been such a feature of the Open, took out the vastly more experienced Andy Roddick in five sets, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3, to reach a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time.

In all ways, it has been the most profitable fortnight of his brief working life - and, boy, has he earned it.

Nobody has spent more time on court.

The combative but not fully fit American - Roddick was nursing an arm injury - detained him for three hours and 50 minutes, making a total of 18 hours on court in his five matches. Two have gone the five-set distance, two lasted four sets and one three - but even that, against ageing Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, was spread over two days because of the weather.

The rewards have been bountiful. As a semi-finalist, he will pocket $400,000, more than double the $195,000 he earned for his previous best performance, reaching the quarters at the US Open last year.

He has won six of his last eight matches against top-10 stars, and this might have been the most impressive of them given that Roddick fought back from two sets down.

It looked like a classic case of a novice on a big stage losing his cool - choking. But Cilic survived the crisis with an impressive calmness that seems to be his secret weapon.

Dressed in the old-fashioned way, entirely in white, and wearing a lugubrious expression that doesn't change no matter what, he comes across as a colourless character - especially for someone who grew up idolising eccentric but accomplished countryman Goran Invanisevic.

But Roddick, who has now lost two of three matches against him, said Cilic's ability to stay composed and not betray his emotions was a crucial factor on both sides of the net.

"Unlike a lot of the young guys who are very emotionally up and down, he doesn't beat on his chest, he stays the course," he said. "He was the same after losing two sets as he was after winning two. He doesn't give you any encouragement. That will serve him well over his career."

That career is now in full swing, and his long and productive week at the office isn't over yet. The Open has a happy habit of producing surprise finalists.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tenni ... 5823773577

[Samurray]

‘Baby Goran’ ready to show he’s all grown up

Marin Cilic, the 21-year-old Croatian derided for being too nice, intends to fulfil his potential this year at Wimbledon.

THREE months ago, Marin Cilic walked onto a golf driving range in California with his brother, Vinko, and his coach, Bob Brett.

Six weeks had passed since his defeat by Andy Murray in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Three weeks had passed since his loss to Jurgen Melzer in the quarter-finals of the Barclays championships in Dubai. Three days had passed since his defeat by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at Indian Wells. But nobody had seen him behave like this.

He snatched at the driver and whiffed another ball. “****! You cannot be serious!” shouted Cilic, the 21-year-old Croatian and world No 12, who has never been mistaken for John McEnroe.

“I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about Marin,” says David Law, the media director of the Aegon championships at Queen’s. “He seems to be a really nice, straightforward, popular bloke. Some have said ‘too nice’ to win the big ones, but with his game, I doubt it. The fact that he is still working with Bob [Brett] tells me a lot. Bob is one of the great thinkers of the sport and I get the feeling that Marin and he are kindred spirits.”

Ivan Ljubicic, a former Davis Cup teammate, painted a similar portrait last year after Cilic thrashed Murray at the US Open. “Marin is our tactician, a very smart guy. Whenever I play one of the young guys on the tour, I ask for his advice and he really understands the game. He gives me great tips.”

We meet on a pleasant afternoon in Munich and I have asked Cilic to choose three sportsmen he might like to invite to dinner.

“Well, I’ve never really thought about that,” he says, “but I would probably choose guys who . . . Bob has been telling me about this Australian 1500m runner who never lost a race.”

“Herb Elliott?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“Why would you invite Elliott?”

“Well, Bob is always talking to me about life and how to improve, and to push yourself to be better. He had some great stories about him and how he never accepted defeat, and when you play an individual sport that is one of the most important things.”

“Who else?”

“Maybe Usain Bolt.”

“Why Bolt?”

“Because he is so superior in what he does and he is a similar height as me,” he says, laughing.

“Okay, one more.”

“Maybe Michael Jordan. I watched a lot of basketball when I was younger and he was one of the best athletes.”

I ask about those days when he was younger. We spend an hour chatting about his life and go our separate ways. Some 23 minutes later, he sends me an email . . .

Hi Paul, it’s Marin.

I was thinking about that question of three persons I would go to dinner with, and instead of Michael Jordan I would put Kaka, the soccer player. He is one of my favourite athletes in general and seems like a really nice and humble guy. Thanks a lot. It was nice talking to you.

If only they were all like him.

The third of four boys born to Zdenko and Koviljka Cilic, he was raised in the town of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and remembers a childhood traumatised not by war (the family moved to Croatia for a period during the conflict with Serbia), but by the agony of watching Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon.

Cilic was three when Ivanisevic lost the final to Andre Agassi in 1992, five when he was runner-up to Pete Sampras in 1994 and nine when he went down to the Pistol again in 1998.

“We watched all of his matches and when he lost in ’98 it was really sad,” he says.

“People got a bit cooled down from tennis after that, and when he won in 2001 it was just miraculous.”

Medjugorje was not averse to the odd miracle. There was the apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1981, the millions of pilgrims who flocked to its shrine, and there was the ramshackle tennis court where the new “Baby Goran” smashed his first ace and began to hone his skills.

At 14, he moved to a relative’s house in Zagreb to use better facilities, and within a year he was hitting with Ivanisevic, and working with Brett, whose former proteges include Ivanisevic, Boris Becker and Andre Medvedev.

“I was lucky to be able to stay in my godparents’ house,” Cilic says, “and that my father was able to finance me to go to some of the tournaments, but nobody ever pushed me to wake up in the morning or to be there on time. I was never late for practice. I wanted it for myself.”

In 2005, he served note of his talent by defeating the top seed Andy Murray en route to the French Open junior title and ended the season as the top-ranked junior in the world. A year later he posted his first ATP win, made his debut in the Davis Cup and had climbed into the top 175 of the ATP rankings. In 2007, he broke into the top 100 and defeated Tim Henman on his debut at Queen’s.

In 2008, he captured his first ATP title at New Haven, climbed to 22 in the rankings and was Croatia’s top player for the first time. He won twice in 2009, reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open and cracked the top 20.

But the steps are getting harder now as he closes on the summit.

“Every practice counts, every ball counts, but it can be really tough to put it all together. A young player who is coming up can work on his backhand or the weak parts of his game, but when you get to the top, these things are sensitive to change and you can’t really experiment.

“To win a Grand Slam would be a great achievement, but I’m just trying to enjoy each time I’m on the court and to give 100%.”

In January, his composure and mental fortitude were highlighted in Melbourne when, after three five-set matches and one of four sets, he became the first Croatian man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. His opponent, Andy Murray, was playing beautifully and had not dropped a set, and Cilic knew he had to strike early.

“I felt I could do it,” he says, “and did really well to push myself and get the psychological advantage [he won the first set 6-3] but in the second set it turned around a bit [he lost 6-4] and also in a mental way. When you are in front you breathe easier and each point pushes you along, but when it turns around it’s much harder, and I began to feel tired. If you are one step behind, those guys are merciless, they take everything, and it was really tough after that point to get back into it.”

“Do you like Murray?” I ask.

“I don’t have anything against him,” he says. “I get along with most of the guys. Everybody does what they think is best for them to win but outside of the court, everything is fine.”

“Who would you be closest to?” I press.

“We all hang around together but it’s very . . . [superficial],” he says. “We are not going to have dinner with each other.”

“And if you could?” I ask. “Who would you most like to sit down with? Which of your rivals’ brains would you most like to pick?”

“Federer, obviously, but I admire Nadal for his attitude and his discipline. I really like him in that sense as an athlete. He is really simple and always gives his best.”

I ask him how crushing it would be if he were never to win a slam, but the words have barely left my lips when I offer a retraction. The notion seems absurd.

“I don’t imagine you would feel crushed by anything,” I observe. “You seem far too balanced.”

“Balanced is good, but too balanced? Hmmm, maybe not,” he replies.

“You probably need a few demons,” I suggest.

“Yeah.”

“Perhaps you should play more golf.”

“That would do it,” he says, smiling.

Marin Cilic will compete against Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick in the AEGON championships at The Queen's Club, starting tomorrow. The tournament will be shown live, every day, on the BBC and Eurosport.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 144888.ece

[Joao]

22.02.2010

Najwyższa pozycja w karierze: 9

[jaccol55]

The Last Word: ATP No. 14, Marin Cilic


Cilic peaked at the Australian Open,
where he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal.

Best of 2010
Cilic began the year looking like the breakthrough player of 2010. In Melbourne, he won back-to-back five-setters over Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal. It would be his last breakthrough of the season.

Worst of 2010
The first sign of weakness, or potential exhaustion, after Australia came in Cilic’s horrid first-round loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Indian Wells in March. He struggled to hit two straight balls in the court and lost the second set at love.

Year in Review
Judging from his 2010 results overall, you’d have to say Cilic had burned himself out by the first week in February. By that time, he’d already played 16 matches, won two tournaments, and reached the semis of a major. He paid for all that court time in the second half of the year. Cilic failed to get past the second round in his last nine events.

See for Yourself
Cilic didn’t save his best stuff for last. Here he begins the year by beating Juan Martin del Potro in Melbourne:



The Last Word
As of March, Cilic seemed ready to his place as the next Del Potro, possibly the next Slam winner. Now he seems like a guy who may be built for the long haul. While he ended the year a respectable No. 14, this season feels like a step back. Recommended: Pace yourself.

—Steve Tignor

http://www.tennis.com/articles/template ... 3&zoneid=9

[Joao]

2010 w liczbach

Ranking: 14
Tytuły: 2 (Chennai, Zagrzeb)
Finały: 1 (Monachium)
Bilans gier: 40-22
Zarobki: $1,151,955

[Jacuszyn]

Pierwszy finał w 2011.

Po serii niepowodzeń Chorwat wreszcie zanotował przyzwoity wynik, docierając do finału turnieju ATP w Marsylii. Zwycięzca 5 turniejów rangi ATP przegrał swój 4 finał w karierze.

Marin Cilić - finały (4)
2011 Marsylia
2010 Monachium
2009 Wiedeń, Pekin

[Barty]

Przegrany finał w Umag

Marin Cilić musi odłożyć swoje plany powiększenia turniejowego dorobku. Wczoraj, w pięknie położonym Umag, Chorwat przegrał z Aleksandrem Dolgopolovem. Dla 23-letniego Cilicia był to 2 przegrany finał w tym roku (wcześniej Marsylia) i 5 finałowa porażka w karierze.

Marin Cilić - finały (5)
2011 Umag, Marsylia
2010 Monachium
2009 Wiedeń, Pekin

[Art]

Marin Cilic Arrived in Beijing



Beijing, China, Sept. 25th, 2011-The Croatian “Little Giant” Marin Cilic arrived in Beijing at noon. As expected, other international tennis stars will be arriving to prepare for the upcoming China Open In the following days。

Cilic has played in China Open since he began his tennis career and so is an old friend of Beijing. In 2009, he defeated the Spanish tennis king Nadal in the semi-final, although in the final he lost to Novak Djokovic.

To be in the best form, Cilic arrived a week before ATP main draws begin. Other international players, including men's and women’s seeds, will arrive in the following days.

http://www.chinaopen.com.cn/en/news/201 ... 6257.shtml