Marin Cilic has played Roger Federer in some of the biggest matches of his career. The Croatian’s lone win against the former World No. 1 came in the 2014 US Open semi-finals en route to Grand Slam glory. Federer got him back in two major finals. But on Thursday, the two stars will meet in the second round at Roland Garros.
“It’s going to be definitely different playing in the second round than the quarters or semis of a Grand Slam tournament,” Cilic said. “I was expecting to play either the first round or second round against a seeded guy. It’s going to be a challenge for both me and also definitely for Roger, it’s not going to be easy. He hasn’t played too much.”
Federer is the eighth seed this year, and two weeks ago at the Gonet Geneva Open he warned reporters that he would not win the Roland Garros title. This is just the 39-year-old’s third tournament of the season after undergoing two right knee surgeries last year. He defeated Denis Istomin in straight sets in the first round.
“Hat down to Roger for his motivation and his level these past several years,” Cilic said. “Absolutely when you see him playing, you don’t feel that he is almost 40 years old the way he moves, the way he hits the ball. The way he actually plays the game is still I would say one of the quickest on the Tour. No matter the age, Roger has the formula.”
Cilic is unseeded, entering the tournament at No. 47 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The former World No. 3 has struggled to find his best level as he is battling to avoid slipping from the Top 50 for the first time since June 2008.
“I haven’t been so much during my career in difficult situations. Everything was going more or less quite well,” Cilic said. “I had some tough seasons, but a tough season for me was [being] ranked 20th and now I’m in this position losing first round, second round, so it also takes [a good] mentality to push through that.”
Cilic still has belief in himself. The 32-year-old said he has been training “really well” and that his level is still “quite good”. Does that mean he will be able to swing freely against the 20-time Grand Slam champion?
“In one sense, yes, I can go out there and go for it and not think too much. But on the other hand, I’m still going to definitely be responsible with my shots, definitely play instinctively,” Cilic said. “I’m not going to go crazy. That’s my game and I’ve been always like this, just trying to focus on my own game and take this challenge as really a positive.”
Watch Federer's First-Round Press Conference
Cilic first played Federer in 2008 when he was just 20, and the Swiss now leads their ATP Head2Head series 9-1. The biggest shift the Croatian has seen in the 103-time tour-level titlist’s game came when he hired former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic as his coach ahead of the 2016 season.
“When he came to the team, I feel that he has just unlocked a few more details in his game and possibly his mindset as well, how he should play, what to focus on in these later stages of his career,” Cilic said. “When he won the Australian Open in 2017, we were all so amazed the way his backhand had improved and he beat Rafa there in the final and he also beat him in the Miami final and Indian Wells as well. That was the biggest shift.”
The 18-time tour-level champion will hope to stop Federer on the Parisian terre battue.
“It’s going to be definitely different playing in the second round than the quarters or semis of a Grand Slam tournament,” Cilic said. “I was expecting to play either the first round or second round against a seeded guy. It’s going to be a challenge for both me and also definitely for Roger, it’s not going to be easy. He hasn’t played too much.”
Federer is the eighth seed this year, and two weeks ago at the Gonet Geneva Open he warned reporters that he would not win the Roland Garros title. This is just the 39-year-old’s third tournament of the season after undergoing two right knee surgeries last year. He defeated Denis Istomin in straight sets in the first round.
“Hat down to Roger for his motivation and his level these past several years,” Cilic said. “Absolutely when you see him playing, you don’t feel that he is almost 40 years old the way he moves, the way he hits the ball. The way he actually plays the game is still I would say one of the quickest on the Tour. No matter the age, Roger has the formula.”
Cilic is unseeded, entering the tournament at No. 47 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The former World No. 3 has struggled to find his best level as he is battling to avoid slipping from the Top 50 for the first time since June 2008.
“I haven’t been so much during my career in difficult situations. Everything was going more or less quite well,” Cilic said. “I had some tough seasons, but a tough season for me was [being] ranked 20th and now I’m in this position losing first round, second round, so it also takes [a good] mentality to push through that.”
Cilic still has belief in himself. The 32-year-old said he has been training “really well” and that his level is still “quite good”. Does that mean he will be able to swing freely against the 20-time Grand Slam champion?
“In one sense, yes, I can go out there and go for it and not think too much. But on the other hand, I’m still going to definitely be responsible with my shots, definitely play instinctively,” Cilic said. “I’m not going to go crazy. That’s my game and I’ve been always like this, just trying to focus on my own game and take this challenge as really a positive.”
Watch Federer's First-Round Press Conference
Cilic first played Federer in 2008 when he was just 20, and the Swiss now leads their ATP Head2Head series 9-1. The biggest shift the Croatian has seen in the 103-time tour-level titlist’s game came when he hired former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic as his coach ahead of the 2016 season.
“When he came to the team, I feel that he has just unlocked a few more details in his game and possibly his mindset as well, how he should play, what to focus on in these later stages of his career,” Cilic said. “When he won the Australian Open in 2017, we were all so amazed the way his backhand had improved and he beat Rafa there in the final and he also beat him in the Miami final and Indian Wells as well. That was the biggest shift.”
The 18-time tour-level champion will hope to stop Federer on the Parisian terre battue.