Australian Open 2018: Marin Cilic gives himself, and the lost generation, another shot at a Grand Slam title

At the season opener in Pune, Marin Cilic was asked, a few times, about that ill-fated 2017 Wimbledon final. The Croat had worked hard to get to the summit clash with Roger Federer, and had even matched the Swiss maestro’s determination and aggression for the first six games. Until blisters on his foot began to slow down the World No 6, and left him — nearly in tears — staring down a straight-sets defeat. On Thursday, at Melbourne Park, Cilic was asked the same question. But this time it was a legitimate enquiry into the physical well-being of a player who had just battled in six tough matches to enter another final of a Grand Slam. In the semi-final, he had out-gunned 23-year-old Kyle Edmund in a 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-2 win to book a spot in his third final at a Major. [caption id=“attachment_4320805” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Marin Cilic celebrates after taking the second set against Kyle Edmund. AP[/caption] “I’m feeling really, really good physically, even though I had few matches that went more than three hours. But overall, feeling really good,” said the 29-year-old after his match. “I think I improved it (fitness) comparing to end of the last year. I’m playing much, much more aggressive. I’m feeling that I am, for most of the shots, hitting them really, really good. From the return, moving, forehand, backhand, serving, I think everything is in good, solid spot. Feeling really excited about the final, too.” For much of the last fifteen years, the men’s game has been dominated by the Big 4. Add three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to the list, and you have a set of players over the age of 30, who have rarely given the rest a look in. This Australian Open has been all about generations, the old and the new, best represented by the semi-final clash between the 36-year-old defending champion Federer and the 21-year-old Hyeon Chung. Somewhere squeezed between the two, is the lost generation of players who should have taken over already but haven’t quite managed to do so. But Cilic is one of them who has consistently taken on the challenge. His big game has been a constant threat in the second week of the Slam and silently waited for his time. The 29-year-old, towering Croat has kept his head down and worked to become a worthy competitor. Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro are the only two to have won a Grand Slam title, with the Argentine bagging the 2009 US Open, and Cilic picking up the trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2014. Those are the only two Slams won by players outside the ‘Big 5’ since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open. There were a few who got close though — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the runner-up at Australian Open 2008, Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon 2010, Kei Nishikori at US Open 2014, Milos Raonic at Wimbledon 2016 and Kevin Anderson at US Open 2017. There was never any question over their abilities, for all have the necessary weapons in their tennis arsenal to win a Major. None however, got to the summit of another Grand Slam, except Cilic. “For many years I was looking at myself as a young player. I was in that group: me and Del Potro were the youngest ones behind the top four," Cilic said at an interview during the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune. “You are thinking you are going to have time, have other chances. But chances come and go. You have to be dedicated every single day and can’t take anything for granted. I’m hoping to get to my goals as soon as possible. “I don’t think people really get how much we have to put the work in, how much we dedicate ourselves to get better. It’s comparable to any kind of job. If you want to be the best in the world, you have to try and be the best every single day. No excuses and no shortcuts. Challenge yourself, push yourself to the limits. Work when you are tired, very tired to keep going to your goals. Hopefully, the results will come. The game is made that way. I love it so much because it’s a constant thing you are able to develop, able to prove, with experiences, with learning of yourself.” It was heartbreak at Wimbledon last year, but at Melbourne Park the big Croat has been in impeccable form. He had come through a bruising encounter against Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth round before he entered the heavyweight clash with World No 1 Rafael Nadal. After dropping the first set, he found his rhythm and started firing his big shots, going for the lines and corners. Cilic didn’t slow down even if he sprayed a few of them outside the line; his constant aggression was wearing down Nadal. But it was in the fourth set, when trailing 2-1 that he started dictating play. The hardworking Spaniard was made to run harder and his body started breaking down because of it as he’d retire soon after being broken in the fifth.

Cilic had given a glimpse of the depth and damage his shots had, and his court-craft was purposeful and effective.

With the Croat hitting that kind of form, Kyle Edmund, who met him in the semi-final, found it difficult to cope. The placement and pace on Cilic’s shot was taking away vital milliseconds away from the Briton, who was playing in his first semi-final, to set up his forehand winners. Though he looked a little shaky on the second serve, Cilic’s serve was virtually unchallenged by Edmund, who moved gingerly through the last two sets owing to a niggle on the left leg. The Croat faced only two break points in the match, and managed to save both. He notched a remarkable 90 percent points won on his first serve (45 of 50), and hammered down 11 aces. The 6’6” Croat has made himself a force to be reckoned with. “I think in tennis, in general, if you are not improving, you are getting worse as a player, because everyone else is improving,” he said. “I did good analysis, I think, of the last season. Found some things that can improve my game, some small details in the game that I focused on. It’s working really nicely in the start of this year.” Soft-spoken off-court, Cilic’s booming shots create quite the racket on it. Wimbledon may have been an opportunity lost, at least for him to compete at his best. But before the Australian Open final on Sunday, he has two days to rest, recover, plot. Not many of his generation have had a third shot at a Grand Slam. Then again, he’s probably worked the hardest for it.