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W 2017 roku priorytetem dla Marina Cilicia jest wygranie wielkoszlemowego turnieju. Chorwat może opuścić mecz z Hiszpanią w Pucharze Davisa.

Łukasz Iwanek
Łukasz Iwanek
23 Grudnia 2016, 21:40
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PAP/EPA / ANTONIO BAT
W 2016 roku Chorwacja doszła do finału Grupy Światowej Pucharu Davisa. Miała szanse zdobyć tytuł, ale przy wyniku 2-1 po trzech grach Marin Cilić nie wykorzystał prowadzenia 2-0 w setach i przegrał z Juanem Martinem del Potro. Triumf Argentynie zapewnił w Zagrzebiu Federico Delbonis, który łatwo pokonał Ivo Karlovicia.


Lukas Lacko skomentował ostre słowa Martina Klizana. "Powinniśmy być wzorem dla młodych"
W lutym Chorwacja zagra w I rundzie z Hiszpanią. Mecz ten odbędzie się w miejscowości Osijek i nie wiadomo czy wystąpi w nim Cilić, a na pewno zabraknie Ivana Dodiga, czołowego deblisty świata. W 2017 roku mistrz US Open 2014 ma inne priorytety. - Muszę dać sobie trochę czasu na podjęcie decyzji, ponieważ chcę zobaczyć, jak będę się czuł fizycznie i mentalnie po Australian Open. Mój cel to ponowny awans do czołowej piątki rankingu i wygranie kolejnego wielkoszlemowego turnieju. Muszę być zatem wypoczęty i postaram się podjąć najlepszą decyzję dla siebie i zespołu - powiedział Cilić, klasyfikowany obecnie na najwyższym w karierze szóstym miejscu w rankingu ATP.
Chorwat rok 2017 rozpocznie w Madrasie, gdzie zdobył dwa tytuły (2009 i 2010). - Miałem tutaj kilka dobrych występów, więc mam nadzieję, że również tym razem dobrze zainauguruję sezon. Następnie zagram w Australian Open, gdzie również potrafię grać świetnie, również dlatego, bo w Melbourne zawsze jest wielu Chorwatów i otrzymuję od nich ciepłe wsparcie - stwierdził 28-letni Cilić.

Najlepszy wynik Chorwata w Australian Open to półfinał z 2010 roku. Długo był to jego największy sukces w wielkoszlemowej imprezie. Dwa lata temu zwyciężył w US Open. W półfinale i finale oddał łącznie 20 gemów Rogerowi Federerowi i Keiemu Nishikoriemu. W swojej karierze Cilić wywalczył 16 singlowych tytułów w głównym cyklu, z czego dwa w 2016 roku (Bazylea, Cincinnati).

- W nowy sezon wejdę z wielką motywacją i zaufaniem do własnych możliwości, bo miałem bardzo dobrą drugą część 2016 roku i osiągnąłem najwyższą pozycję w karierze. Chcę to kontynuować i wejść do czołowej piątki rankingu - stwierdził Cilić.

Marin Cilić udanie powrócił w poniedziałek ze stanu 0-2 w setach i pokonał Jerzego Janowicza 4:6, 4:6, 6:2, 6:2, 6:3. Triumfator US Open 2014 przyznał, że obawiał się meczu z Polakiem w I rundzie Australian Open 2017.


- Wiedziałem, że Janowicz może być bardzo niebezpieczny, szczególnie na kortach w Melbourne. Zacząłem mecz dosyć wolno i niepewnie. Byłem zbyt pasywny, nie przejmowałem inicjatywy w wymianach i nie serwowałem dobrze - powiedział Marin Cilić.


Australian Open: demony z Torwaru powróciły. Jerzy Janowicz przegrał z Marinem Ciliciem, choć prowadził 2:0
Chorwat zdołał jednak odwrócić losy pojedynku z Jerzym Janowiczem i pokonać notowanego na 273. pozycji Polaka w pięciu partiach. - Po porażce w drugim secie grałem już dużo lepiej i przede wszystkim agresywniej. Moje podanie było mocniejsze, ale mimo to niełatwo było wrócić ze stanu 0-2 w setach.
Cilić po raz drugi w karierze wygrał mecz z Janowiczem w pięciu partiach. Do analogicznej sytuacji doszło w 2014 roku w warszawskim Torwarze, gdzie Chorwacja pokonała Polskę w spotkaniu II rundy Grupy I Strefy Euroafrykańskiej rozgrywek Pucharu Davisa.

REKLAMA

W środę czeka najlepszego chorwackiego tenisistę starcie z Brytyjczykiem Danielem Evansem, który w sobotę bez powodzenia bił się w Sydney z Gillesem Mullerem o pierwszy tytuł w głównym cyklu. - Nigdy nie grałem z Evansem. On miał bardzo solidny sezon 2016, do tego jest utalentowany i może być niebezpieczny. Jeśli jednak rozegram ten mecz, tak jak skończyłem poniedziałkowy, to będzie łatwiej - zakończył siódmy singlista świata.

Raonic continues bid to reach his first clay-court final
Marin Cilic became the third Croatian in ATP World Tour history to record 400 match wins (or more) on Friday when he booked his spot in the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open semi-finals.
Cilic joined fellow Croats Goran Ivanisevic (599) and Ivan Ljubicic (429) in passing the milestone after the second seed defeated eighth seed Steve Darcis 6-1, 6-1 in 45 minutes, losing just four of his service points. It was the pair’s first meeting since March 2009 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
"This was the best match for me this year considering how I moved and took the ball early. This was the way I need to play," said Cilic. "I’m extremely happy with this and am completely focused for the next matches."
He will now challenge defending champion and third seed Diego Schwartzman, who improved to 10-1 lifetime at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament when he beat Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 32 minutes.
“Whenever I come here, I have a lot of confidence to play,” said Schwartzman. “Today I played well again on Centre Court, but Dusan started a little bit better than me. I then played really good tennis at the end of the first set and in the second, I kept pushing and didn’t make many mistakes. It’s great to be in another semi-final.”
Cilic, who watched Schwartzman play Lajovic, said, “(Diego) played a very solid match, his qualities mean he defends well and is extremely quick. A clay-court game definitely suits him, so I will have to work hard and expect a few more rallies.”
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Top seed Milos Raonic fired down 25 aces to knock out sixth seed Bernard Tomic 7-6(4), 7-6(6). The Canadian, who saved one set point at 5/6 in the second set tie-break, has not lost a set in any of their five meetings.
“I wasn’t able to dictate and control the court, but I served well and it kept me alive in the match,” said Raonic. “I definitely had more chances in the first set as I felt I was the one controlling, although I didn’t get ahead. I was holding easily, and even though it went to a tie-break, I felt comfortable. He had a chance at the start of the second set. I fought as hard as I could and it came down to a few shots.”
Raonic will now look to extend his 4-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head lead against fifth seed Viktor Troicki, who advanced when leading 6-2, 3-3 against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere, who retired due to dizziness.
Czechs Reach Doubles Final
Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely continued their top form to reach the doubles final over Aussies John-Patrick Smith and Jordan Thompson 7-6(4), 7-5. The Czech pair defeated second seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Dominic Inglot on Thursday.
In quarter-final action, Antonio Sancic and Adil Shamasdin needed three match point opportunities to edge past top seeds Nicholas Monroe and Artem Sitak 6-3, 1-6, 10-8 in 78 minutes for a place in the semi-finals. They will next face wild cards Tuna Altuna and Alessandro Motti, who defeated third seeds Jonathan Erlich and Scott Lipsky 7-5, 3-6, 10-7

Croatian notches 17th tour-level title
Marin Cilic tasted victory on clay for the first time in five years, fighting past Milos Raonic 7-6(3), 6-3 for the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title.
Cilic survived the battle of big hitters after two hours and one minute, firing nine aces. He was strong on serve, saving all seven break points faced and claiming 82 per cent of first serve points.
It was the 28-year-old's 17th tour-level title and first since lifting the trophy on the indoor hard courts of Basel last October. His lone previous clay-court victory had come on home soil in Umag in 2012.
"I'm on a good track and feeling very well," said Cilic, who did not drop a set en route to the title. "In these last three or four weeks on clay, it's never easy, but I'm trying to get better with every match. This week was a big one for me and a good sign for the rest of the clay-court season. I hope I can improve in these upcoming three tournaments - two Masters 1000 events and the French Open."
"The critical points came in the tie-break. I managed to play a really good tie-break and hit a few great backhands down the line. Then in the second set, getting that break and holding for 3-1 was definitely the deciding moment."
Despite facing break points early in the opening set, the Canadian and the Croatian rode their big deliveries to an opening tie-break at the Garanti Koza Arena. Cilic would draw first blood at 2/2, pouncing on a second serve and forcing a backhand error for the decisive mini-break.
Cilic continued to apply pressure on Raonic in the second set and finally cracked the top seed's serve, capitalising on two double faults to score the first break of the match for 3-1. The Croatian would escape from a 0/40 hole in the next game and crossed the finish line after just over two hours, firing an ace on his second championship point.
All-Top 10 Finals In 2017
Tournament Final Result
Doha No. 2 Novak Djokovic d. No. 1 Andy Murray
Indian Wells
No. 10 Roger Federer d. No. 3 Stan Wawrinka
Miami
No. 6 Roger Federer d. No. 7 Rafael Nadal
Istanbul No. 8 Marin Cilic d. No. 6 Milos Raonic
It was a memorable week for Cilic in the Turkish metropolis, having reached the 400 match wins milestone on Friday. He moves to No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, adding 250 points and €85,945 in prize money.
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Raonic, meanwhile, was appearing in his first clay-court final. The Canadian, who returned to the ATP World Tour after recovering from a hamstring tear suffered in February, was bidding for his ninth tour-level crown. He takes home €45,265 and adds 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points.
"The tennis was good and I achieved a lot of the things I would have liked," Raonic reflected. "Of course I didn't achieve the ultimate thing, but I got a much better understanding of how I need to play on clay and I got to play four matches. These are all positive things at the end of the day.
"I didn't serve very well. I struggled to find a consistent pace and was serving a little slower. I tried to make the most of it and it wasn't enough. Credit to my opponent for playing well."
Their third FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter was also the fourth between Top 10 opponents in an ATP World Tour final this year. World No. 8 Cilic earned his first victory over World No. 6 Raonic since 2011 in Valencia.

Croatian fires 20 aces to reach final
Marin Cilic turned in a scintillating serving display in securing his place in the final of the Aegon Championships on Saturday.
Cilic edged Gilles Muller 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, firing 20 aces and claiming a ruthless 91 per cent (43 of 47) of points on his first serve. He has dropped just 10 first-serve points through four matches this week.
The World No. 7 has found a second home on the lawns of The Queen's Club, advancing to his third final. He joins current and former World No. 1s Andy Murray (5), Andy Roddick (4) and Lleyton Hewitt (4) as the only players to reach the title match on three or more occasions since 2000. The champion in 2012 and runner-up in 2013, he fired 47 winners, including 14 off his backhand wing, to improve to 24-8 at the ATP World Tour 500 event. Cilic will face Feliciano Lopez for the title on Sunday.
"It's just amazing to get to the final," said Cilic. "Also considering that today's match was an extremely high level. I was playing really, really good throughout all the match. Gilles was just pushing me to the limits.
"This week I was feeling really good on my serve and especially on the shots afterwards I was playing really well. And also against Gilles today I was mixing it up really good and just playing really well, really smart in some critical points. It's just paying off nicely."

Rain clouds threatened to disrupt play throughout the semi-final encounter on Saturday afternoon and the big-serving Croatian would charge ahead after an initial one-hour delay. Neither Cilic (29/29) nor Muller (37/37) had been broken entering Saturday's semi-finals at Queen's Club, but it was the 34 year old from Luxembourg who would blink first. Cilic claimed the opening break in the sixth game, firing a backhand pass by a net-charging Muller.
Muller would come up clutch in the second set, forcing a decider behind a late break in the 12th game. A ripped return winner gave him a 0/40 look at Cilic's serve and he would not disappoint. But the fourth seed would rebound in the third, breaking Muller for 4-3 and holding to the finish line after two hours and 14 minutes. He closed it out with his 20th ace.
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Cilic improved to 2-0 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head against Muller, having previously prevailed on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam last year. He is seeking his second title of the season after emerging victorious at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open last month.
Muller, meanwhile, suffered his first defeat on grass this year, falling to 7-1. The champion at last week's ATP World Tour 250 event in 's-Hertogenbosch, he was bidding for his biggest win since beating World No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko at the 2008 US Open.