Marin Cilic is set to play at the US Open for the first time in three years.
The greatest moment of the Croatian’s career came at Flushing Meadows back in 2014, when he claimed his lone Grand Slam title.
Cilic defeated Roger Federer on the way to becoming the first player outside the ‘Big 4’ of Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray since 2003.
Now aged 36, he is back in New York and aiming to make more history in the twilight phase of his career.
Marin Cilic says he could see Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘unbelievable’ talent after their 2022 US Open match
Marin Cilic will commence his 2025 US Open campaign against Alexander Bublik.
This will be the former top 10 player’s first appearance at the tournament since 2022, where he faced a 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair faced one another with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, and they treated fans to an entertaining five-set battle.
Alcaraz outlasted Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a match that finished after 2am local time. The world number two went on to win his first Grand Slam title after beating Casper Ruud in four sets.
Since then, he has won four more majors and become the world number one. Three years later, Cilic reflected on their matches and he knew immediately how gifted Alcaraz was.
“I played him that year also in Miami, where he won his first Masters 1000 and I was like, ‘This guy is unbelievable’. Not many guys just blew me off the court like that,” Cilic told ATP.com.
“Playing here, I was ready to go full on, and it was a tough match, five sets, and he went on to win the trophy and be No. 1. To even have that kind of a run in 2022 when he was 19, with so many tough matches and five setters, it was just incredible.”
He added: “Carlos deserves his success. He is so diligent, so professional. He worked on his game and has incredible ability. For me, it is also great to be a part of this generation as well.”
Marin Cilic returning to the US Open gives him ‘goosebumps’
Cilic missed almost all of the 2023 season and half of 2024 due to a right knee injury that required surgery.
He admitted it was a difficult road back to full fitness, but Cilic has returned to an impressive level, and his title win at the 2024 Hangzhou Open illustrates that.’
After reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon, Cilic is now back at the US Open where he aims to have a strong run, with his whole family watching.
“Obviously, everything came to life over here,” he said. “Here, all my dreams came true, so coming here again always brings the goosebumps and always brings a little bit of a sensation of, ‘Can I do it again?’
“You never know what’s coming, so you’ve always got to keep your mind open and work as hard as you can to achieve those things.
“Coming back here is just a plus. To play here, to enjoy myself. My family is here, my boys. They walked here through the corridors, and they were like, ‘Oh dad, that’s you! That’s you on the photo, I can’t believe it!’ It’s fun to have new memories.”
