2015 Player Preview: Marin Cilic

Typing ‘reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic’ is a strange feeling and to be completely honest it was a sentence I never in a million years expected to have to write. The 2014 final between Cilic and Kei Nishikori was a surreal experience and even when sitting there watching it, it was hard to compute.

He doesn’t overly rely on pure power and has improved at picking the right ball to attack

Cilic had always been spoken of as a player with huge potential, but not many people gave him the time of day when talking about possible Grand Slam winners. His mental fragility had been displayed a number of times on the big occasions, having thrown away fantastic opportunities in the later stages of the majors.

Nevertheless, the 6 foot 6 Croatian managed to put this and his drug ban behind him to blow apart the 2014 US Open field and simultaneously the entirety of men’s tennis. At 26, Cilic is very much a candidate for more success in the majors and possesses a game that, when firing, is very very difficult to beat.

There had definitely been glimpses of Cilic’s ability to play lights out tennis.When he is unplayable it is normally when he serve is working well and he is in a good rhythm both from the serve and off the ground. His ground stokes are unique and his tennis brain is better than a lot of people would give him credit for.

He doesn’t overly rely on pure power and has improved at picking the right ball to attack, a skill that many other members of the Top 10 would hugely benefit from. Teaming up with fellow countryman Goran Ivanisevic was a master-stroke and has catalysed this recent success. The presence of super coach in the men’s game has added a fantastic new dimension to the sport.

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You can be sure that, heading into 2015, Cilic will be part of the discussion when it comes to Grand Slams. I don’t see him displaying the year-round consistency needed to break into the top four in the rankings, but I can see him challenging at the majors.

Wimbledon is particularly interesting for Cilic, as the low bounce and skiddy surface would seem to match well with him game style. Something I have noticed and I am sure his rivals are aware of is that Cilic still struggles with the low ball, when a slice for example comes through at his feet.

If Cilic can continue to improve his game he will take some stopping in the Grand Slams during 2015. I think we will see him in a few more semi finals and maybe even finals in his career, however another major may be beyond him. He had the advantage of playing Kei Nishikori, a fellow first time finalist, in New York and the odds of that happening again are very slim.

Ranking Prediction: 10th

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