World No. 6 Marin Cilic announced on Friday that he has been forced to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where he is the defending champion, due to an abductor injury. "I was really eager to play in Cincinnati, where I won my first-career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 singles title last year and where I’ve had some of the best performances during my career, but I still don't feel at 100 per cent to compete at the top level and to defend my title there," said Cilic. “I had already started with my preparation and the progress is going well, but there isn't enough time for me to prepare for Cincinnati and to be completely ready...
Watch highlights of Roger Federer beating Marin Cilic on Sunday in the Wimbledon final. Watch more video at www.wimbledon.com. Highlights not available in U.K., U.S.A., Germany, Italy, Austria, South America. Photo: Getty Images/ATP World Tour
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...
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...
