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Marin Cilic: The Man Who Shocked Tennis
31 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios, Scoop
There are some parallels to Marin Cilic’s surprising US Open conquest yesterday to the 2002 Australian Open triumph by Thomas Johansson.
Cilic was a #14 seed, Johansson was #16. Cilic’s opponent Nishikori was #10, To Jo’s – Marat Safin – was #9.
Johansson was 26 years old when he won his first and only major title, Cilic is also 26.
Johansson had won seven career ATP singles titles prior to the Aussie Open, Cilic 11.
Both call Monte Carlo there residence. Okay, I’m grasping for similarities now, almost every professional player seems to have a place in Monaco.
Cilic first showed elite qualities at the Australian Open in 2010 where he beat Del Potro and Roddick on the way to the semis, losing to Murray in four sets. He seemed destined to be another Ljubicic/Ancic type second tier player, never quite making the last step to win a major or Masters Series. Then there was the four month doping ban last year (reduced from nine), the hiring of hero Goran Ivanisevic as coach late last year, and an nice start to 2014 with title victories in Delray Beach and Zagreb, as well as a final in Rotterdam.
Cilic caught my eye earlier this year in Rotterdam and Delray Beach, where I noticed he sported a different intensity. In the past Cilic was a normal player, just playing, without much emotion or visible passion. At the Sony Open this year, I saw Cilic lose in straights to a Frenchman (think it was Eduoard Roger Vasselin in the second round). I commented to a colleague that I never saw Cilic make a sound on the court before. But Cilic was annoyed by having to replay a point he won in the second set tiebreak and tossed his racquet at his chair after match point.
I also noticed how on TV Cilic had a different look on his face this year, of almost fury and disdain. Cilic will stare briefly two or three times at the opponent when he was about to serve, each and every point. Darren Cahill once told me Thomas Muster competed as if he hated every opponent while on the court, even if they were cronies off it, and Cilic seemed to be manufacturing that kind of animus into his competitive repertoire this year.
Though a very nice man off the court, always friendly and accommodating with fans and autograph seekers as well as the media, on the court Cilic has found his ultimate gear and this fortnight in New York he performed the finest tennis of his life. Marin Cilic is now a Grand Slam US Open champion and a part of tennis history forever.
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loreley · September 9, 2014 at 11:05 am
That was an underwhelming final & to have a USO champion with doping history isn’t great either.
Scoop Malinowski · September 9, 2014 at 11:17 am
Loreley, yes there were a lot of empty seats and that did not help the atmosphere with two non Americans playing. Plus Kei was tight and struggling with Cilic’s penetrating shots. I still enjoyed it though. It was a special final, first time in almost a decade without Rafa Fed or Djok. Cilic is a new man now, very solid and stout, I remember he used to be almost twig-like. Is that an insinuation? Maybe )
loreley · September 9, 2014 at 11:42 am
I noticed that he has stronger legs now as well. He was pretty skinny in the past. He looks almost as strong as Delpo now.
I’m sick about the dominance of the big four since a while, but Cilic is a bad tradeoff for many reasons.
Scoop Malinowski · September 9, 2014 at 11:50 am
Cilic is a great player for sure but he’s going to be a tough sell. The other Croatians were very solid players – Ljubicic and Ancic – but they were hardly hot ticket sellers anywhere outside of Croatia. It’s hard to imagine Cilic becoming a transcending star like a Fed or Rafa. He may take a step back after this showing of greatness, like Del Potro, Korda, Johansson, Gaudio, who never came close to winning their second majors. It will be interesting to see how Cilic responds after this win, with his game he could possibly become a dominant force.
Jack · September 9, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Just a minor correction, Cilic turns 26 on September 28.
Dan Markowitz · September 9, 2014 at 2:06 pm
Lorely,
Curious about the European prospective which I think you provide. Why do you say Cilic is a bad tradeoff in many ways. His tennis is machine-like, but so is Djokovic. The players with flair in their games don’t win anymore with the exception of Rafa, who’s just a beast, and many expect he’s a steroid-abuser as well as Cilic.
I mean look at Murray or Del Po, those guys don’t play with much flair. Tsonga, Monfils, Gasquet, Dimitrov, these are the guys off the top of my head I say play with flair, but they don’t win big. The machine-like players including Ferrer and Gulbis, win more than players who have flair. Maybe our only chance is Kyrgios, who I think plays with plenty of flair.
gans · September 9, 2014 at 9:32 pm
Cilic played extraordinary tennis. He will be a great champion. He will win a few more.
Bryan · September 10, 2014 at 12:00 am
Both US Open Finals were forgettable. I didn’t watch the men’s until tonight when Tennis Channel rebroadcast it and even then only a set. US Open should not start a final at 3pm PST, when everyone in California is at the office still. Then they don’t even rebroadcast it same day? Annoying.
As for Cilic, he’s a good player but I find it odd nobody else seems perturbed that he sat out a doping ban in 2013 and a year later wins the US Open. Not a face for tennis to promote and I won’t support him. That he still claims to have been treated unfairly is BS. That’s what all dopers claim. Facts are facts and he tested positive.
loreley · September 10, 2014 at 3:13 am
Cilic winning the USO is bad for tennis, because he has a doping history. It’s a disaster. ATP & media know that, but they try their best to ignore it.
Beside of that he is a machine like player with a boring personality. Djokovic is a machine like player as well, but his personality isn’t boring.
I agree with you that the players with a flashy game can’t win big anymore. Gulbis is a machine like player? So there is hope for him 😉
Murray isn’t boring as well for me, because there is always drama about him.
The countries who have tournaments need players for their home crowd. I think that’s the biggest problem for US tennis. For Germany as well. Our best player Kohlschreiber is almost 30 years old.
If Cilic plays Munich next year I doubt that he’ll attract more spectators. Maybe some extra Croats who live here. But I would not bet on that.
Last week there was a challenger match with Dustin Brown & Troicki. The crowd was huge.
https://twitter.com/shanghai_lopez/status/507635685474316288
They really like tennis in Italy & France. But it helps that they have good players.
The ATP does everything to promote players like Dimitrov. They are aware that they need a guy on the top who replaces Federer, because tennis is a global sport & not every country has top players. But for the smaller tournaments it’s important to have a enough local players in order to attract the home crowd.
I’m not sure if players like Dimitrov & Kyrgios can replace Federer & Rafa. At the end people like winners. The rest is marketing. So if they win big everyone will be happy.
Dan Markowitz · September 10, 2014 at 6:47 am
Since when is Troicki a big draw? I don’t love his game. But when you have a good ATP player playing Brown in his home country, at least if it’s not the US where tennis doesn’t draw for Challengers in my experience, at least in the NY-area, you’re going to get a crowd. Did Brown win?
Scoop Malinowski · September 10, 2014 at 7:57 am
Can certainly see Cilic winning more Gans, if he really really wants more. Hope he doesn’t get complacent and content with the one.
loreley · September 10, 2014 at 8:00 am
Dustin Brown lost in straight sets. He was defending champion.
I hope it’s not true, but Troicki might get wildcards for Asian tournaments, because of Djokovic’s contacts. Another doper who’s back. He gets wildcards for this challenger events. Gulbis had to play qualification for a German challenger that he won in the past when his ranking was so low.
Scoop Malinowski · September 10, 2014 at 8:47 am
Troicki has to be a pretty ticked off guy for having to miss part of his career. Especially if the allegations against other players are plausible. Could be a potential whistleblower someday. It’s strange how every single player who gets caught has some kind of denial explanation. Can’t think of one player (or athlete from any sport) who ever said, ‘Yes I did it, I’m guilty, I’m sorry.’ I know for a fact steroids are rampant in the NFL and boxing.
Jack · September 10, 2014 at 11:28 am
If you remember, Rafael Palmiero angrily denied he doped. He got caught doping later. Floyd Landis angrily denied he doped, then he confessed that he did in fact dope. Marion Jones angrily denied she doped, then she confessed. Lance Armstrong angrily sued a British publication that had the nerve to call anti-cancer hero Lance a doper, then Lance confessed.
No athlete that gets caught, admits that they were cheating. There is always an “excuse” (tainted meat{Contador}, tainted supplements {Rusedski}, glucose tablets that his mother gave him {Cilic}, I drank from Slim’s glass{Agassi}, I kissed a girl who had done cocaine {Gasquet},…).
I suppose that some athletes were not intentionally taking a performance enhancing drug, but most of them were.
I am highly skeptical of the excuses we hear from athletes.
tom michael · September 10, 2014 at 1:31 pm
I looked up Cilic’s drug suspension. He took Nikethamide, better known by its trade name Coramine. It was found in “glucose tablets.” Basically it is a throat lozenge common in South America and Europe. He may have had a upper respiratory illness and he took something to relieve the symptoms. Though I wish he can explain the whole story better. I think it can be hard for foreign athletes whose second or third language is English to explain the whole thing to the tennis viewing public.
Jack · September 10, 2014 at 2:48 pm
Again, the “glucose tablets” excuse was Cilic’s. If you want to believe it, you are being naïve.
The ITF takes Cilic at his word for two reasons. 1) there is no way they can prove he is lying, 2) They don’t have to prove he is lying, since he tested positive.
The ITF said the same thing about Troiki (that he wasn’t doping). They can’t prove he was, so they are forced to “believe” his story, that he was scared of needles. The fact that he didn’t get tested until the next day (when whatever he was likely on had cleared his system), means he probably WAS doping, but they couldn’t prove it, so they “bought” his story. He was still sanctioned for not taking the test when he was supposed to.
The ATP “bought” Greg Rusedski’s “tainted supplements” excuse, even though it was later proven to be a lie (the supplements were tested, and found NOT to contain nandrolone).
Again, athletes always have an “excuse”, and more often then not, they are lies. Just because the officials put these “excuses” in an official document, does not mean they are the truth. More often then not, they are lies.
tom michael · September 11, 2014 at 9:17 am
Jack,
Do not call anyone naive. I said that Cilic was not clear about his story. Were those glucose tablets throat lozenges? Did he have an upper respiratory ailment? I did not say I believe him. Do not put words that are not there.
Kindly,
Tom
Gaurang · September 12, 2014 at 6:28 am
I dont think it matters that Cilic has been caught doping once. He is not doping now is all that matters regardless of whether his story is right or not. He did get suspended for 4 months so he has already faced the punishment and then we move on.
Secondly the substance he was found of is allowed to be taken out-of-tournament, and he claims he took it out-of-tournament. Anyway, its time to forget all that.
He is a super player, and I will now start including him as contender for all grand slams from now on, unless his level of play drops.
We finally are having exciting times in tennis. I love the Big Four, but I like change as well. I was fed up of watching the same old matches between the Big Four in the semi’s and finals of every Grand Slam and Masters. Its exciting to see new blood.
Gaurang · September 12, 2014 at 6:28 am
Cilic was on Charlie Rose for 15 mins. Here’s the talk
http://www.charlierose.com/watch/60442901
Scoop Malinowski · September 12, 2014 at 7:21 am
Agree Gaurang, I think Cilic beating Kei in the final is the best thing to happen for tennis in years. We finally can rest assured that the monopoly of the big four is a thing of the past. The field is wide open now, you have to think a lot of players outside the top ten will gain huge inspiration and motivation from this win by Cilic as well as Stan in Australia. Who knows maybe guys like Gulbis, Thiem, Dolgopolov, Jo, MOnf, Gasquet, Isner, Dimiitrov, Milos, Tomic, Kygrios, Jerzy J are going to step up and be the next Cilic/Stan.
tom michael · September 12, 2014 at 10:27 am
The wins of Stan and Marin have few effects on the tour. First is the belief by the young guns like Dimitrov, Raonic, Thiem, Kyrgios, Kokkinakis, Janowicz and others. Second is the belief, desire, and sense of entitlement by the other veterans aged 26 and over (Simon, Berdych, Dolgopolov, Verdasco, Kohlscreiber, Ferrer, Robredo, Anderson, Gulbis, Monfils, Gasquet and Tsonga) who have not won a slam and have been grinding away for years. They will play anyone hard in the draw and make the eventual winner’s job a nightmare. And thirdly, the established champions’ (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Del Potro, Cilic, Wawrinka, and Murray) fighting resolve to hold all posers away. There may be a few new slam winners on the tour but I will still go with the established winners.
Based on age, experience, and form, I will still go with Djokovic and Nadal to head the challenge for majors next year.
It is hard to win majors. This year proved that it is hard for one player to win two or majors in one season. So much can happen within the tournament, injuries, tough scheduling, tough draws, facing a player who is hot, playing on a bad day. With 128 players in the draw, this randomness is more likely. So there is good chance that next year is going to be another of four different winners.
loreley · September 13, 2014 at 2:37 am
Not the wins of Wawrinka/Cilic have an effect on the tour. The only thing that affects the tour is that the big-4 are not that good anymore (Djokovic, Federer, Murray) or don’t play (Nadal).
I like that their dominance slowly comes to an end, but that a guy like Cilic won a major isn’t good at all. It makes tennis look like a fraud.
Scoop Malinowski · September 13, 2014 at 7:37 am
Not fair to call Cilic’s win a fraud or fluke. But if he can do it, I suddenly think Gulbis can do it too. Gulbis will have to make some adjustments though. Wonder if Gulbis has ever beaten Cilic
loreley · September 13, 2014 at 12:33 pm
I didn’t say that Cilic is a fraud.
But guys with a doping history make ppl think that tennis might be a fraud.
Gulbis didn’t make headlines with doping at least. ATP & media try to play it down, but Cilic winning a major is pretty unpleasant.
Gulbis defeated Cilic in straigt set this year in Madrid 😉
Scoop Malinowski · September 13, 2014 at 4:10 pm
The doping ban definitely taints Cilic’s title. It is a blemish for sure. The timing of the ban, then a year later such a great performance looks funny. Hope Gulbis gets inspired by the fact he beat Cilic in straights. Guess Gulbis prefers clay as his favorite surface.
Gaurang · September 13, 2014 at 10:26 pm
I am not sure how doping taints Cilic’s win. He was caught doping *once*. They do these tests all the time. So being caught once does not imply that he has been taking drugs for a long time. Nor does it imply that he was taking it now at the US Open.
If he was caught for drugs *after* his win at the US Open, then the win would have tainted — since people may wonder whether he was taking drugs at the time of the Open. However, since he won the Open *after* being caught and punished, it does not imply he had been taking drugs again at the Open. After being caught once and being punished, I am sure he would not take it again, knowing that the ATP will always be suspicious of him and will test him more often now.
loreley · September 14, 2014 at 2:56 am
The fact that Lance Armstrong never had a positive test tells us that doping can be done successfully.
We only know about Cilic’s case because there was a whistleblower who told it media. Public believed that he was injured, because that’s what he said first when he withdrew from Wimbledon 2013.
Scoop Malinowski · September 14, 2014 at 8:15 am
Exactly Loreley.
Bryan · September 14, 2014 at 11:13 pm
“We only know about Cilic’s case because there was a whistleblower who told it media. Public believed that he was injured, because that’s what he said first when he withdrew from Wimbledon 2013.”
Which fuels suspicions that Nadal sat out drug suspensions in 2012 and currently, rather than being shelved by injuries. As long at ITF doesn’t have to disclose suspensions they will keep it “private” and fans will speculate.
The way Nadal ground up opponents in every tournament during early 2013 with no rust or physical issues after sitting out six months with a knee injury was suspicious.
loreley · September 16, 2014 at 2:47 am
Steve Tignor on Cilic:
“Certainly, seeing a guy who has never won a 500-level event, let alone a Masters or a major, suddenly play the best tennis of his life to win nine straight sets for the U.S. Open title, one year after being banned from the same tournament because of a positive drug test, is rightfully going to arouse suspicion. And last year I found it interesting that in 2012 the ITF tested Cilic “4-6†times out of competition; that was more than the 1-3 norm for most top players that year. Were the testing authorities suspicious even before he came up positive?”
Later in that article he tells that he doesn’t believe that Cilic doped on purpose.
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/09/reading-readers-sept-12/52757/#.VBfXVGOh7To
Before they caught him, media always told that Cilic is a smart, hard-working & level-headed guy. If that is true, why was he so “stupid” then?
A german journalist/reporter asked Daniel Brands about Cilic’s case. Brands said he can’t imagine that a player takes something on accident.
Scoop Malinowski · September 16, 2014 at 9:31 am
Interesting info Loreley. I researched Cilic and his losses in majors last year were to Murray, Del Potro and Murray. So I think it shows he was close. It was the top guns who were taking him down in majors. Cilic definitely came up quietly under the radar. Remember, he had a good win in the Chennai final vs. Wawrinka a couple of years ago. So he’s been on the verge for a few years. He finally took the step. It all came together for him at this US Open with Goran in his corner.