Marin Cilic – Page 3 – TennisReporters.net

Bernie Tomic edges great volleyer Stepanek, to face Kei Nishikori

January 6, 2016 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

It’s time for Tomic to step up. Mal Taam/MALTphoto

BRISBANE, Jan. 6, 2016 – The so-called younger males should rise up this year. It’s not like this group are teenagers, and they all have been around on tour for five years or more. But, these days, the veterans continue to improve — the Big 4-plus 1: Novak Djokovic (28 years old), Andy Murray (28 years old), Roger Federer (34 years old), Rafa Nadal (29 years old) and Stan Wawrinka (30 years old).

Clearly, the kids have to improve greatly if they want can actually win a major this season.

On Wednesday night, the 23-year-old Aussie Bernard Tomic went on court to face the old-but-not-tired veteran Radek Stepanek. The Czech is now 37 years old and he missed most of 2015 due to injury. He was 3-0 against the Aussie, but they are never played on hard courts before.

This time, Tomic hung in there. Stepanek sliced and diced, coming to the net constantly, volleying 55 times with 37 winners. Not bad at all.

Here is what Tomic had to say: “I think he has for sure the best volleys going around now. The feel, the way he covers the net, shows why he’s an amazing athlete the last 10 years on the tour. I cannot think of another person that volleys that great like him.”

However, the former No. 8 Stepanek hiccuped late, spaying the ball at the very end. Tomic won 7-6(6) 4-6 7-6(4).

At times, Tomic can disappear, but he can be extremely steady and he doesn’t mind mixing up his pace. Even though he is tall and muscular, he rarely goes for the lines right off the bat. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesn’t, but against Stepanek, he stepped in when he needed to. He moved around his forehand and backhand and ,when he lulled Stepanek to sleep, he whacked winners down the line.

Now he has to face Kei Nishikori, who beat him 6-0 6-4 in the quarters of 2015 Brisbane. The Japanese started very well today when the 25-year-old beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 6-4.

Nishikori reached the 2014 US Open final, and he looked like he was ready to race past Marin Cilic in the final. But he could not and he went down quietly. Last year, Nishikori was fairly solid, but he was not spectacular. This year, he has to take more risks.

“Mentally I have to be a little more stronger. But I been doing really good things from last year, and very happy to finish top eight again last year,” Nishikori said. “Try to have good confidence and try beat all the top 10 players. That’s going to be a big challenge for me.”

Here’s a big challenge for Tomic: Can he take down one of the better competitors out there? ‘Bernie’ always comes to play in Australia. To take down Nishikori, he must to dominate early, because Nishikori is certainly faster than he is.

“He’s the top in the world. Not easy,” Tomic said. “I have to earn my position to be there. Obviously beating me last year on these courts it’s showing me he can play amazing on this surface. It’s not just to me. He’s beaten everyone on the tour and everyone fears to play him. Even Rafa, Novak, Roger. He’s had so many wins over these guys, and I have to play well from the start to have any chance of beating him.”

The 25-year-old Milos Raonic has yet to play yet, but on Wednesday he talked with the press and said yes, he can snare at the major, if the tall and strong man can move forward.

Cilic won his match, besting Chung Hyeon of South Korea 7-5 7-6(3). The 27-year-old Croatian said that last year his serve was spotty so he changed it up a bit. He will face the 22-yeard-old Dominic Thiem, who won three titles last year on clay. The Austrian says that he likes the hard courts too, so we will see if he is ready to dance.

Petkovic is more playful after the match is over. Mal Taam/MALTphoto

ON THE WOMEN

On Tuesday, with Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova pulling out due to injuries, it looked like that No. 3 Garbine Muguruza was the favorite. Nope. On Wednesday night, the Spaniard pulled out after losing the first set 11-9 in the tiebreak against Varvara Lepchenko. Muguruza’s left foot was too painful and she didn’t want to risk it. What a strange week indeed.

Victoria Azarenka was hurt too much last year, but now, she looks a little thinner and she is quicker on her feet. She took down the Belgium Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3 6-2. She has to face Roberta Vinci, who is red-hot, but Azarenka has won two Slams at the Aussie Open, so if she is feeling right, she could certainly win the tournament. It’s been a long time.

Here was a real shocker when the 20-year-old Samantha Crawford of the U.S. beat the Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5. The 6-foot-2 Crawford can the crack ball but she is still has miles to go. She will place a smart veteran Andrea Petkovic who beat Ekaterina Makarova 7-5 6-4. The always laughing and smiling Petkovic (off court, mind you) has never played Crawford before.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Berrad Tomic, brisbane, Garbine Mugurza, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, victoria azarenka

Everyone is happy: Halep stronger, Cilic steadier, Azarenka changed

January 4, 2016 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

BRISBANE, Jan. 4, 2016 – Every year, the grass is always greener, especially for the players in the first week of 2016 New Year. Just about everyone is happy, because they were able to take a break at the end of the year. They were able to get healthy, and then they started practicing with their coaches to try to freshen up their game.

Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova are always trying new wrinkles. The 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer wants to continue to rush the net more, while the 5-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova wants to mix it up more. Both Federer and Sharapova are the defending champions at Brisbane. The Swiss says that on occasion, he is “totally Zen.”

There are plenty of fine players in Brisbane, with the tournament growing and growing each year.

Look at Marin Cilic, the one-time champion who won the 2014 US Open and it looked like that it was possible that someday, he could win another major. But he grew hurt during the fall and he didn’t return until last March at Indian Wells. He wasn’t ready yet. He continued to improve and while he was unable to take down the other excellent players, he was more or less OK, ending the season ranked No. 13. Now he says he is healthy again and he would love to win another title. But he isn’t sure yet.

“I want to be there. If I’m going to be a winner of Grand Slams in the future, I think hopefully with that kind of tennis I played at the US Open, I think I have pretty good shot,” Cilic said. “That’s what drives me. It’s not that I’m going to be thinking too much about stuff around. Of course, the motivation is really there. That is good road for me to follow. I know what things I need to work on with my game, what things really worked. So I think that’s positive. I don’t have as many questions as before.”

The world No. 2 Simon Halep is also playing at Brisbane. She has yet to win a major, but outside of that, especially on the hard courts, she is super fast and lethal. In early October, Halep had announced that she will stick with her coach, Darren Cahill. The Australian coach and broadcaster Cahill stopped with adidas on December 31. According to Halep, now they can work with each other full-time.

Last month, he came to Romania to work with the very intense Halep.

“We practice very hard,” Halep said. “I was working on what we had in our mind to improve in my game, so everything went well. I was feeling great that I had new things to work on. He came very relaxed and showed me what I have to do, what I have to improve. I accepted and I worked really hard on them. On everything. I want to be stronger. I want to improve, of course, my serve because it’s not very strong, but now I feel that it’s better.”

Interestingly, Halep said that at the 2014 US Open, she struggled a bit because Cahill could not sit in the Friends Box if she was playing against another adidas competitor. Halep lost in the semifinal against Flavia Pennetta. She was pretty upset.

“I can say that was a little bit difficult also in US Open because he couldn’t show up for Pennetta’s match,” Halep said. “I knew that and accepted before, so it was okay. Now it’s different, so it’s good. I learned many things from that collaboration, and now because he’s only with me, it’s much better and I’m more relaxed.”

Before that lost, Halep did take down the former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals. Azarenka was essentially done after that, becoming hurt once again during the fall.

A year ago in Brisbane, Azarenka said that she wanted to become No. 1 again. She was OK throughout the year, but she couldn’t take down most of the top players, like Serena Williams, Sharapova and now Halep.

Currently ranked No. 22, Azarenka has miles to go. But, if she beats Halep on Wednesday, then perhaps she will rise again. She admits that she didn’t have a great season in 2015, but she is very happy now because she is no longer depressed, as she has said.

She won the Australian Open twice, so maybe she can be back on track.

“Definitely feeling in control of my movement, not thinking about pain, that’s a huge element,” Azarenka said. “Also, I worked a lot on getting my movement a lot more efficient, being much more mobile and flexible. So for me, that work that has not ended. It’s still just a big process. But I like the improvement that I’ve been able to do in those months. I think it’s the right way.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: brisbane, maria sharapova, Marin Cilic, Roger Federer, Simona Halep, victoria azarenka

The top 32’s, ATP: Goffin better, but must improve all around. Same goes with Raonic. Where’s Cilic?

December 17, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

2015, ATP from Nos. 16 through 13.

No. 16

David Goffin

Talk about flashy? The Belgian dances around, jumps on the ball, nailing his forehands and backhands down the line. He is pretty decent on the net too, and he can belt his first serves. So why has the 25-year-old gone further yet? He is so-so at the majors, as well as the ATP 1000s. He has lost against Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, and Kei Nishikori – everybody against the top competitors. He just needs to improve all around, that is as simple as that.

No. 15

Gilles Simon

Who doesn’t love Simon when he is on? He is incredibly versatile, he can stroke his shots from behind the baseline, moving forward and smoking the ball, or sneaking to the net and putting it away. The 30-year-old has been in the top 20 for a long time, and nearly six years ago, he had cracked into the top 6, but he was unable to continue and push into the top 5. He had a real chance to reach final at a major. He is a very intelligent person, but he over-plays and he loses early way too much. But he is still young enough and if he truly believes in himself, maybe the French can go super deep at a Grand Slam in 2016. But he has to prove that.

No. 14

Milos Raonic

The Canadian had a rough year, becoming injured in May and after that, he really struggled. He has a gigantic serve, he has a phenomenal forehand, and he hustles. But he must improve his backhand, his volley, and certainly, return of serve.

He is only 25 and he still has miles to go, so there is no panic yet. However, he has to smile more on court, and when he gets it in his face, yell a little bit. Raonic will go back into the top 10, but if he wants to reach the top 5, he has to change it up and add more style.

No. 13

Marin Cilic

Did the Croatian have a decent year? Sure, if you consider that he was still hurt at the beginning of 2015, and had the 2014 US Open champion was fully healthy, then maybe he would have entered the Australian Open and taken down all the big boys.

But since he returned in March, he has played a number of tournaments, but he had been unable to knock off the most significant competitors. For instance, when he played a terrific match and beat Jo Tsonga in five sets in the quarters at the 2015 US Open, but then he went up against Djokovic, who destroyed him.

However, at least he had reached the semis and it appeared that he was going to play even better during the fall. But he did not overall. He did win Moscow over Roberta Bautista Agut in the final, but in the bigger events, he lost to Nishikori, Stan Wawrinka and Rafa Nadal.

Cilic has all the tools, and if he can manage to be healthy all the time, and stay under control, then he will be right there. The 27-year-old will have another chance to win a major again. But in 2016? Hmmm.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: david goffin, gilles simon, Marin Cilic, milos raonic

Winners & Losers, Montreal: Murray finally beats Djokovic again

August 18, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

WINNERS

Andy Murray

After he was seriously hurt at the end of the summer of 2013, Murray had to have a surgery and it took him a while to rediscover his form. Against Novak Djokovic, it took him two years, burdened by eight straight losses. But in the final of Montreal, Murray was esquire.

It took more than three hours, and he could have folded when the match grew tight, but he kept trying, coming into the net, swinging his forehand and, as always, he painted his backhand.

For the first time in 2015, he was the dictator; he decided which way he should go and he didn’t panic. Now the Brit has a legitimate shot to win the US Open again, and for the first time on hard courts this season, Murray is just as smart as the Serbian is.

Novak Djokovic

The No.1 finally lost one of the big hard courts, which is pretty unusual, given that he has out-hit and out-stroked everyone on tour, winning the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami. But this time, the reigning Wimbledon champion was a little bit off in Montreal, nearly losing against Ernests Gulbis and then going down against Murray.

Djokovic had hurt his sore right elbow, which affected him, but still, he was pretty close against Murray, even if his return game was not spot on. Really, it doesn’t matter, as he has won so many tournaments over the past four years. However, the question is, can he win the US Open? He has won it only one time, in 2011. Perhaps the eight-times Grand Slam champion is a little nervous on NYC, or in Cincy this week.

Kei Nishikori

Props to the Japanese, who smoked Rafa Nadal. But how in creation did he get hurt once again? Nishikori won Washington, grabbing five matches, which included three setters.

But then he won three straight setters in Montreal until he played Murray in the semis, and he was destroyed, saying he was tired. Later, he said that he has a hip injury and he pulled out of Cincy.

He is a terrific player and when he is on, he can take down just about anyone. But, if he wants to win a Slam, he has to play very clean and directed, and maybe, just maybe, be can win the USO.

Jeremy Chardy

There seems like a million of fine French male players like Monfils, Simon, Tsonga and Gasquet, among others. Chardy was on fire and didn’t give in, up, ending John Isner 7-6 in the third set. He did manage to lose against Djokovic rather quickly in the semifinal, but the veteran won as good he possibly could get.

Ernests Gulbis

Out of nowhere, Gulbis rallied, winning three matches for the first time in 2014 Roland Garros. He was so close beating Djokovic, holding two matches points, but he was clearly nervous and he blew it. But at least he is back on track – we think.

LOSERS

Rafa Nadal

Yes, he was hurt very badly in the second half of the year in 2014, but he says that he is 100 percent now, so why is he so lost? He isn’t aggressive enough and he isn’t returning deep, let alone his spotty backhand. He was flat against Nishikori.

Marin Cilic

The US Open champion was saying that he is improving daily, but in the past five months, he is unpredictable. That is what occurred against Bernard Tomic, who took him out in the first round at Montreal. At this point, Cilic has not chance to win the USO again.

Gael Monfils

Talk about unpredictable, the Frenchmen said that he was so happy to be back on the North American hard courts, and then he lost in the first round at Montreal and Cincinnati. He said that he thinks he can reach the semis of the USO, and maybe he can, but he has to be much more consistent. Monfils must play very well at Winston-Salem next week

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal

Notes on a Draw Sheet: Taylor Townsend struggling, now working with coach Donald Young Sr.

May 27, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

ROLAND GARROS, DAY 3 — The American Taylor Townsend is now working under her old/new coach Donald Young Sr (his son is Donald Jr.). Townsend – who lost in the first round at RG — grew up in Atlanta, where the senior Young taught her when she was a kid. Now, she is returning to the Peach State. Townsend was working in Florida with the USTA for a few years and now she wants to try Young once again. Townsend was also been hitting with Zina Garrison last year, who lives in Houston.

It sounds like she is trying to settle down.

In March, she had a stress reaction in her ankle and she had to wear a boot for a couple of weeks. She hadn’t played until early May as she was out for two months.

When she was out, she was sitting around and knew she had to make some change.

“Just mentally, physically, just everything was just trying to get healthy,” she said. “I was just trying to get back to basic things. It’s very rare that you can have someone that’s willing to coach you again who basically built your game up. [Donald] taught me how to play tennis, so he knows my game like the back of my hand. He knows my strokes and everything, the way I’m supposed to be playing. He knows the best way that I can play. He’s seen me when I was at my best, playing the game that I know I can play. So I just wanted to get back to that and just go back to basics. Get back with my family and just try to build a strong foundation, base, and just get back grounded again.”

Currently ranked No. 130, Taylor is only 19 years old … so she has a long way to go. She is very strong and has a lot of variety, but at times she isn’t sure which way she is going.

Last year, Townsend reached the third round at Roland Garros when she stunned the Frenchwoman Alize Cornet. She was only 18 years old and it appeared that she was ready to climb.

During last summer she qualified at Washington and Cincinnati, but, in the US Open, she had to face Serena Williams in the first round and she was crushed 6-3, 6-1. After that she lost her touch.

This year, she hasn’t won much at all, falling to Caroline Wozniacki twice and against Sam Stosur. Her long-term goals is, “Top 10, Top 5 and win all the Grand Slams several times.” That is ambitious, but the 2012 Australian junior champion has a long way to go. She wasn’t progressing, so now she is hoping that she will be better, and soon.

“I was variety and what makes me special, using my slice and coming into the net and just trying to incorporate something that’s not the same,” she said. “I wasn’t doing that a lot. I was coming to net and being aggressive, but I wasn’t using everything that I know I have. My coach saw that, and we immediately jumped on that. Just trying to get me back to doing thing that I know works for me and just using variety and being creative out there.”

AND MORE, FROM ALL OF THE PLACE

The US Open champion Marin Cilic says he is finally hitting the ball well again. The Croatian has been hurt since last October and he just started back on court. He won his first match at RG. A number of people have forgotten that he is even here.

“When I’m at the court I’m feeling confident; I feel that I’m playing good,” he said. “Just it’s sometimes that things don’t set up themselves like when you are confident. I mean, for example, like when you have a lot of matches, wins, things like that, you’re going to bring the best shots on some crucial moments. I think that’s what helps you the most.”

Caroline Wozniacki says that the courts at RG have changed, at least a little bit. She likes the colors on court.

“I think there are much more clay on the courts in general,” she said. “I think there are more bad bounces because of that. I think in previous years it’s been much less clay, been faster to play on. The color of the clay, I think we’re used to it by now and getting our socks and shoes dirty. The orange clay on it it’s still going to look good. I’m wearing yellow these weeks, so I think that contrasts well on to the clay. It kind of brightens it all up, even when it’s a gray day out there, I’m still shining bright (smiling).”

Madison Keys says that her main coach Lindsay Davenport is here, as is her husband Jon Leach, but the player/coach Lisa Raymond is not here at RG. … Eugenie Bouchard, who lost in the first round, says she is hoping to play a lot grass. … Richard Gasquet has been hurt a ton this year but he says. “I’m ready for this fight.”… Novak Djokovic knows Rafa Nadal so well at RG. After all, the Spaniard has won nine titles here. “He loves playing on clay, especially here in Paris. Best of five, as well, something that is playing in his favor, because there are not many players who can compete physically with him. To accept the fact that you’re going to have to play a lot of long rallies, you’re going to have to win the points, he’s not going to give you, he’s one of the best defenders ever to play the game. So he plays with a lot of heavy topspin. You spend a lot of energy to win one set and you have to win three. I think that’s one of the reasons he’s so successful here.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Caroline Wozniacki, Donald Young, Eugenie Bouchard, Marin Cilic, Matt Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, roland garros, Taylor Townsend

The Pick, Barcelona, April 22: Cilic vs Burgos, is Marin ready to play well again?

April 22, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Marin still has potential, but will he show it in '12?

The US Open champion is trying to play well again.

Marin Cilic vs Victor Estrella Burgos, Barcelona, April 22

It is pretty incredible that Burgos is now 34 years old and he is still out there, currently ranked No. 52, which is pretty darn good considering that the Dominican Republic has very few players who have even made it on the ATP World Tour. Baseball, anyone? Regardless, Burgos has hung in there at the singles. He is fast, but small at 5-foot-8 and isn’t powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with lots of players. But on clay, that’s an entire matter all together. He won Ecuador in February, upsetting Feliciano Lopez in the final. He then won a Challenger in Morelos, Mexico.

Last week in Monte Carlo, he bested Simon Bolelli in the first round and then he retired against David Ferrer. So while he was been playing well, and he thinks he has a real chance against Cilic, who might be a little hurt. If he isn’t running up and down everywhere than he will have no chance.

Is the US Open champion Cilic is ready to go now? It’s hard to say. He did return at Miami and he lost in the first round. But last week, he won two contests over Mayer and Tsonga, which was terrific, but then he was blasted by Djokovic.

It will take the tall man a while to be completely ready. He has never loved clay, but when his forehands are blasting two and fro and he attacks on his foes’ second serve then he can be threatening. At the 2014 US Open, he could do anything he wanted to. But now he has to have tremendous patience. Let’s assume that the huge server Cilic will believe in himself again and win it over Burgos in third set.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: barcelona, Marin Cilic

Can the ATP top 5 stay there?

December 5, 2014 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

POLL RESULTS
Milos Raonic 41%
Grigor Dimitrov 39%
Marin Cilic 9%
Ernests Gulbis 6
Gael Monfils 5%

Cilic, Raonic, Dimitrov, Gulbis and Monfils all are ready to move up

At some point in the future, say the next two years (2017 to start), the Big 4 of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will no longer be dominating and another group will push them out of the elite group. Eventually, things change and the Big 4 won’t be easily sitting in the top 5.

This year, the season ended between No 1 Djokovic, No. 2 Federer, No. 3 Nadal, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 5 Kei Nishikori. Murray is No. 6, who was way down and struggling seriously big time until he was rose up in the fall — until he faced against Federer in London and collapsed. Can he reconstruct his purpose quickly? That we do not know but we do know the two-time Slam champion believes he can beat anyone, except for the rest of the Big 4, whom he did not beat him during the 2014 season. Even if he loses to the Big 3 during 2015, he still could finish in No. 4.

But the big question remains: Is the new bread ready to pounce and finish in the top 5 at the end in 2015?

Not everyone has a serious chance, but there are enough who are encouraged and ready to make it very close to the top 5. Will they stay for more than brief moments or will they stay? Here are a few who have yet to end 2015 in the top 5:

US Open champ Cilic has the potential to grab a 2015 slam.

Marin Cilic: The Croatian finally broke out, smashing with serves, forehands, backhands and at the net, winning the US Open. He is tall and he’s in great shape, but he gets hurt and can become depressive. He has to steady his nerves and, if he does, he will have another Slam in his pocket.

Milos Raonic: The Canadian is consistently better year after year. His backhand has improved in 2014 — which is mandatory – and he is looking why he should be thinking about his better point construction. He is very aggressive, but he has to begin to best the top guys or he will never make it.

Grigor Dimitrov: The Bulgarian is a very colorful person and when he on fire, he can actually beat just about anyone, including the Big 4. But even though he can dance and react to size of the back, he can also grow at impatient and lose games before he wakes up. The top men have lasted so long because they don’t think about messy calls. They yell, they glare, but then they move onto their next point. Dimitrov must go the same, because if he does, he will look as pretty as Federer does by dipping wicking slices with their one-handed backhands, or he can be stuck in their mud outside of the top 10 forever.

Ernests Gulbis: The 26-year-old came a long way from outside the top 100 and now is ranked No. 13, but the talkative Latvian started fast and then slowed down fast. He is a very flashy opponent who isn’t afraid to go for his shots. Many fans discovered who he is when he took down Federer and Tomas Berdych to reach the Roland Garros semis, before he went down to Novak Djokovic. He looked like he was ready to really break out, but after Paris, he did nothing after July, losing everywhere and everyone on grass and hard courts in the fall. He likes to talk about how good he is, but to ever reach the top 5, he has to commit to playing hard for an entire season and he’s never really been close for that.

Monfils has the talent to return to top 10 but can he break into the elite circle? Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Gael Monfils: Can the Frenchman looked as good as he ever was when he stunned Federer in the Davis Cup final, or will the world No. 19 stay healthy enough and make the top 5 for the first time? The quick-footed Monfils once reached No. 7 in 2011, but he began to slip. The 28-year-old has been consistently hurt due to his sore knees, but he can play for hours and loves his crowds. He lives for long points, but he can swing away from his first serve and his gigantic forehands. He looks like he will make one last push, but staying in the top 5 for more than a week or so? This time, why not?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, Ernests Gulbis, Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov, Marin Cilic, milos raonic, Novak Djokovic, rafa, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer

Cilic comes down and blown out by Berdych: ‘Tough to handle’

November 12, 2014 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

LONDON – Marin Cilic completely changed after he won his first Slam at the US Open. The Croatian has not been played extremely well during the fall and, even though he has made it into the ATP World Tour Finals, the world No. 9 needs to show that if he ever wants to be No.1, he has to be very consistent.

Take a look at Cilic on Monday in Group A when he faced Novak Djokovic. He was blasted, knocked out 6-1, 6-1. He was not even close and, while he has said that he is hurt a bit, he has enough of a rest to be striking the ball and believing that he could disturb the Serb. But Djokovic was so much faster that evening that Cilic looked lost.

That is because the younger generation of top players can be excellent at times, but they have yet to prove that they can rise to the level of truly superior players. So even though the US Open winner Cilic and the finalist Kei Nishikori opened up our eyes when they stunned Roger Federer and Djokovic in the semis, they have yet to show that can beat the “Big 4” – the 18-time Slams champ Federer, 14-time champ Rafael Nadal, seven-time Djokovic and two-time victor Andy Murray – on a consistent basis.

If you look at the Big 4 and how well they have been year after year, they have been pretty darn good day after day. They have won Slams, ATP Masters Series, ATP 500s and even 250s. They went everywhere; they wanted to go and win time after time.

Berdych made the most of Cilic’s poor play. Photo by Mal Taam/MALTPHOTO

But Cilic has not done yet and maybe he never well. He does have a huge first serve, can rip off both his forehands and backhands and is pretty good when he attacks on the net, but he mentally goes in and out. That is why the 26-year-old has won 13 titles, and other than the US Open, he has only won ATP 250 tournaments. He has never even reached a final of the Masters.

Look at the 27-year-old Murray, who is loved in London, even though he has not won as much as Fed, Rafa and Novak. But Murray has been very, very good and way much better than Cilic: Murray holds 31 titles, including two Slams, Olympic gold and nine ATP World Tours Masters.

So while Cilic has played much better this year, winning four titles and scoring over wins like Tomas Berdych, Federer and Nishikori – he should have entered London this week prepared to rack up significant victories.

But it appears that he is already gone, even though he has a small chance of reaching the semifinal.

On Wednesday, Berdych played fairly well and smoked Cilic 6-3, 6-1. Cilic only managed to hit 11 winners, but suffered 30 unforced errors. The 6-foot-5 big guy only managed three aces.

Berdych didn’t look well at all when he quickly lost to Stan Wawrinka on Monday. He recomposed and kept landing his shot deep and into the corners. The Czech outhit him by whipping his forehands, and he was able to guess which way Cilic was going with his heavy serves and popped them back the other way. Once Berdych began rallies, he was not going to be impatient, while he was dared Cilic to be accurate. The Croatian could not keep his balls in the court. He walked away quietly.

Now he says that he is hurting but wants to be there anyway. At least he is being honest, which is good. He may not make it in the semis, but says that regardless of what happens this week, he says that he is still thinking about how “amazing” he was in winning the US Open. Perhaps he can pull off another Slam at the 2015 Australian Open. Perhaps.

“It’s a little bit disappointing to play like this,” he said. “I was not expecting it. But sort of I feel a little bit tired, and body feels a little bit tired on the court.

“It seems that the things that I’m doing that are all basically going in a wrong direction. Especially with these guys at this kind of level, even small mistakes, or if you’re not at your best performances, the outcome is not going to be going in your favor.

“I haven’t also been playing last few weeks. Also, the body, of course, is not at the best possible shape. … I was looking forward to play here, to do well, to play good matches on a high level. But it’s a tough to handle, tough to look at. Both matches I’ve played, I didn’t play on a good level. That’s tough to handle, too.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, atp finals, Kei Nishikori, london, Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych

Brisbane Day 4: A new beginning for Marin Cilic

January 1, 2014 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Ivanisevic is helping Cilic reconstruct his serve, as well as his volley

BRISBANE: Marin Cilic played just his third match in the past five months on Wednesday when took down 2013 Brisbane International finalist Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-5 at Pat Rafter Arena on Wednesday. The Croat was a very happy man, saying that while it’s his same career, it’s new start after what he called the worst period of his life in 2013 when he was banned for allegedly doping.

The former top 10er Cilic was banned for nine months by an independent tribunal in September after testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the Munich Open in May, but his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was successful and his suspension was cut to four months. He chose not to play post Wimbledon in order to give is lawyers time to prepare and to rack up time served. One his appeal was okayed, he managed to get in two matches at the Paris Bercy Masters. But that was it for the rest of 2013 as his ranking was too low to get into the ATP World Finals.

The 25 year old enters the 2014 ranked No. 37 with an outside shot of being seeded at the Australian Open. Some folks feel bad for him as they believe his explanation that he did not purposely ingest the nikethamide is the truth. Others may still think he cheated. But whatever the case, he does have a new lease on life and that now includes the full time coaching help of former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, whom he has known since he’s been a kid.

“Feels still the same career, but feels like a new beginning for me,” he said. “Just with the new team and everything, I’m thinking about everything around myself in a different perspective. I had a lot time to think about everything and time to work. I improved my serve. That was something special from Goran. We worked a lot on the serve during the off‑season. I feel it’s in really good place and it could help me to play much better, especially against top players. So overall, of course I’m excited to be in the season and to play, to be back on the tour after all that misery last year.”

Despite being 6-feet-6, a pretty good mover for his size and a man who can crack it from the back court, Cilic he has never become a major threat to the elite, while a guy of the identical height with weapons that are not much bigger, Juan Martin Del Potro, has.

Cilic owns nine career titles, all at the ATP 250 level. He has never reached the final of Master Series, but back in 2010 when he advanced to his first Grand Slam SF at Australian Open (upending Andy Roddick before going down to Andy Murray) and cracked the Top 10, it sure looked like he was ready to make a push.

But he did not. In 2011, he went 1-8 vs. Top 10 opponents. In 2012, he posted the same mark against the top 10. He was sliding backward

“I felt that I lost my way a bit after [2010],” he said. “ I was struggling couple seasons. 2011, 2012 I was bit better, but still not at the right place with the game. I was all the time searching myself. Overall looking at the seasons, the performances I wanted to have. In couple tournaments I had great results, but overall I was not too satisfied with it, especially after that great success in Australia and also four, five months before Australian Open where I played pretty good tennis. So I think now when I went through it, I felt what I need to do. I think I took that as a lesson. Next time I hope that I’m going to be there I know how to deal in that kind of situation.”

In 2013, Cilic was essentially mediocre. He lost a five setter to Andrea Seppi in the third round of the Australian Open, but he did avenge that loss in a Davis Cup win over Italy. He won the Zagreb title , but the field was spotty. At the spring Masters Series he went down to Raonic (Indian Wells), Murray (Miami), Gasquet (Monte Carlo), Madrid (Andujar) and Anderson (Rome). At Roland Garros he fell to Victor Troicki. Oh and let’s not forget what occurred in Munich when he tested positive- he lost to countryman Ivan Dodig on clay.

On grass he briefly revived. At Queens he took down Dodig, Feliciano Lopez. Tomas Berdych and Lleyton Hewitt and before falling to Murray. At Wimbledon, he claimed that a knee injury forced him out the competition prior to his second round match, even though he knew he was going to be suspended. He still sticks by that story.

Due to the long break, he feels physically refreshed now which is good for any player. Against Dimitrov, he showed off a huge serve and consistent serve, a stroke that has been very sporadic since 2010. His groundstrokes were strong and had depth and he was competent around the net.

Ivanisevic had one of the best serves of all time and while he and Cilic’s motions are totally different, he managed to convince his student that his motion was too complicated. He also has given him a set of broad shoulder to lean on

“To simplify. Throw the ball in the air and hit it<’ Cilic said of the left handers advice to him. “ For me before, I was a lot thinking about the serve. To be more relaxed, nothing unusual. But we worked a lot on it, and it seems that it fit in the right place.

Goran showed me already a lot of things. I feel my game is improving. Goran say all the things that he went through many more times than I did already in my career he can show me and tell me in front, Okay, be careful of this. He’s going to be one step ahead of me in some kind of situations.”

Injury watch

The Brisbane International may only have a 28 draw but already, in the WTA First Premier level event of 2014, it has seen four causalities. Sabine Lisicki and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova became the third and fourth players to pull out, Lisicki with gastrointestinal illness and Pavlyuchenkova with a left thigh injury. They Ashleigh Barty and Caroline Wozniacki, who pulled out earlier in the week.

Match of the Day

Britain’s Ross Hutchins, who battled cancer last year, returned the tour and he and his partner, Colin Fleming, played very respectably in a 0-6, 6-4 10-4 (match tiebreak) loss to Dimitrov and Jeremy Chardy.

What to Watch for, Thursday

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova both open play during the day session, with the Russian going up against the heavy-hitting Kaia Kanepi, and then the American taking on the dangerous Dominica Cibulkova. Should both Williams and Sharapova win, they will contest their 17th match. However, it is not a great rivalry by any stretch as Williams owns a 14-2 edge and Sharapova has not beaten her since 2004, although she did play Williams tough the last time they faced off in the 2013 Roland Garros final.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: brisbane, Goran Ivanisevic, maria sharapova, Marin Cilic, ross htchins, Serena williams

Roddick stuns Federer

March 27, 2012 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Andy finally got over on Federer again.

After knocking back three break points down 0-1 in the third set of his somewhat shocking 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4 over Roger Federer in Miami, Andy Roddick went out in third game and all of sudden after nearly a full year and three quarters of looking a slower due to injuries, he ran with sheer abandon. He earned a break point, and then dashed to his right and retrieved a forehand crosscourt volley. With the quick flick of his wrist, he curled a gorgeous forehand down the line pass that stunned the Swiss. That was the moment when he picked up his career again, and whether it lasts another week, month, or two years, he was finally rewarded for the relentless yet frustrating rehab work he has put in since his great run to the 2009 Wimbledon final, when Federer found a way to wear him down mentally him in a five set classic. “That was one of the best return games I have ever played,” Roddick said.

The 31st seed’s victory did not come easily at the end, when Federer out smacked him in a tough forehand-to-forehand rally to gain a 30-15 edge at 5-4. So what did Roddick do? What the old Andy would have done, and this time he succeeded against the Swiss: he nailed an ace and then two service winners, not allowing Federer to trip him up in a rally.

It was just Roddick’s third win in 24 career meetings with Federer, but two of his wins over the 16-time Slam champ have come at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. It is somewhat hard to recall the last time he played that well against an elite player and actually won the match. His win over David Ferrer at the 2011 US Open showed his grit on a back court, but it was not a victory over a guy who has totally owned him and was on a 16-match win streak, which included titles in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells.

It was very likely when Nadal knocked out Rafael Nadal at 2009 Miami, a tournament where he has often times played his best.

“It was a great night for him and for American tennis, I guess, but it was tough for me. It was a close match that didn’t go my way,” Federer said. “I came out a bit flat today, I was a bit tired, I guess, but it was more mental than physical, I think.”

Roddick played as about as aggressively as he could: he did not allow Federer to push him around on the forehand side or trick him into absurd net approaches. He looked like the boss and while the win will not allow him to sleep easy for the rest of his life and not think about his Wimbledon defeat, it will make a very happy man in the short term, and also signals that he can be a relevant player again.

QUICK HITS on the rest of the results

Victoria Azarenka d. Dominika Cibulkova 1-6 7-6 7-5.

The victory was Azarenka’s 26th straight, but the contest was the Slovak’s to take, as she held a 2 break lead in the 2nd set. The new Vika was gutsy and clutch, while her old foe from the juniors, Cibulkova, once again failed to show that she has the mentality to be a top 5 player.

Serena Williams d. Samantha Stosur 7-5 6-3

Stosur looked in control of the match early on, but a nervous Serena finally began to take high hopping balls to her backhand early and came away with a small measure of revenge for her 2011 US Open loss to her.

Maria Sharapova d Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 7-6

Sharapova cannot always beat the rest of the top five with her “B” game, but she gutted this one out even though she was way off her top level, as was Makarova. She better up her game quickly as Li Na, who bested her at 2011 RG, is next, and nemesis Serena looms.

Caroline Wozniacki d Yanina Wickmayer 7-6(6) 6-0

Caro has not been so far under the radar since early 2009 publicity wise, but that will change as she will face Serena, who took her out at the 2011 US Open. She’ll take her to at least 3 sets this time around.

Li Na beat Sabine Lisicki 3-6 6-4 6-2

It’s so hard to figure Li and when she’ll will have a mental check out, but the surface and whether suits her and one would expect her to give Sharapova hell. Lisicki is stuck in place.

Agnieszka Radwanska d. Garbine Muguruza 6-3 6-2

If you are a Spanish rookie do you really want to face the white witch of the WTA? I think not, but Muguruza made major strides this week. And Aga, well if she doesn’t face Azarenka she has a good chance to win her sixth high grade outdoor hardcourt title in the past eight months.

Marion Bartoli beat Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-2

All respect to Marion, but Kirilenko must have been sick or hurt here as she’s been playing way better than this score. Let’s see if Bartoli can go at Azarenka in the same fashion that Cibulkova did.

Juan Martin Del Potro d. Marin Cilic 6-3 7-6(3)

This use to be a super relevant match between up and comers, but Cilic is barely relevant any more. Delpo is promising better play than he showed against Ferrer in Davis Cup.

David Ferrer d Julien Benneteau 7-6(5) 6-4

Ferrer rarely loses early, on any surface, but does anyone actually see him reaching the final?

Novak Djokovic d. Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-4

What was that, the 1000th time Djokovic has defeated Troicki?

Nicolas Almagro d. Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-4

Three years ago, Verdasco would have won this match but Nico has become more consistent. Maybe he’ll actually make a real run at a Slam this year

Richard Gasquet d Alberto Ramos 6-2 5-7 6-3

Do you realize that these days you can actually say that Gasquet does things quietly – like winning.

Mardy Fish d. Kevin Anderson 6-4 6-3

This is the first time this year that Fish has dug himself into a tournament. If he wants to move to Center court, he is going to need to be very focused vs. Almagro.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left Tagged With: Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Kirilenko, maria sharapova, Marin Cilic, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, victoria azarenka