Zacząłbym od chwalebnych opinii na temat Marina, ale wczoraj z jego obozu dobiegły bardzo niepokojące wieści na temat Jego stanu zdrowia. Lekarze stwierdzili jakiś tajemniczy wirus, który usztywnił (sparaliżował to za duże słowo) mu lewą część twarzy. Nie wiadomo dokładnie co mu dolega (przypomina mi się dolegliwość Jamesa Blake'a z 2004 roku), niemniej Cilic w trybie nagłym wycofał się z gry w Pucharze Davisa i z zawodów w Tokio, które odbędą się na przełomie września i pazdziernika.

Za chwilę poszuka  artykułu i postaram się go tu wrzucić.

Zdrowiej Marin!

#2 Chennai 2009



R32 Martin, Alberto (ESP)  6-4 6-4
R16 Istomin, Denis (UZB)  6-0 6-4
Q   Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB)  6-4 0-6 6-4
SF  Granollers, Marcel (ESP) 6-4 6-3
F   Devvarman, Somdev (IND) 6-4 7-6(3)

3. Zagrzeb 2009



R32 Clement, Arnaud (FRA 6-4 6-3
R16 Serra, Florent (FRA) 6-2 7-5
Q    Veic, Antonio (CRO) 6-2 7-6(6)
S    Troicki, Viktor (SRB) 6-2 7-5
W   Ancic, Mario (CRO) 6-3 6-4

Jeden z graczy którego darzę sympatią ma duże umiejętności i oby zaliczył w karierze więcej takich spektakularnych zwycięstw jak to z USO z Murrayem

Cilic aims for top ten breakthrough

Marin Cilic has vowed to give chase to breakaway Argentine Juan Del Potro when the new ATP season starts in little more than a fortnight.

The Croatian who finished 2009 on 14th, faded in the closing stages as he struggled for a long-odds place in the London year-end final. But while Cilic was having his troubles, fellow 21-year-old Del Potro was lifting his game, reaching the final of the World Tour Finals, and setting himself up for a fast start to 2010.

"He beat me in New York and in Melbourne, I had a big lead in that match in Flushing, but when he caught up to me, I was left without an answer," complained Cilic of his rival. "We've always been same
path, but he matured physically faster than me."

Cilic began 2009 with a Chennai title but confesses that his mid-season was more of a swoon than anything else. "If I divide season in four pieces, first and last one were great, but middle ones could have been better," said the player who won two titles in January and February but lost autumn title shots in Vienna and Beijing.

The promising youngster says that he will try to focus on his ranking. "I was circling around 15th most of the year but when I started to think about breaking the top, I had problems with motivation and tiredness."

Cilic is working on lifting his fitness in the off season. "When I reach good level, everything will be better. I want to be able to play three or four weeks in a row."

http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20091 … eakthrough

Mądrze wybiera te turnieje Marin. Tenisowo wciąż się rozwija, ale nie zapomina też o dorobku turniejowym. Gra tam, gdzie wygrywanie jest nieco prostsze (teoretycznie przynajmniej) i jak tak dalej to się potoczy to dorobi się pokaźnej ilości wygranych imprez, głównie w oparciu "250" czy "500".
      

Chennai: Cilić obronił tytuł

Marin Cilić jako drugi w historii zdołał obronić tytuł turnieju Aircel Chennai Open. W finałowym pojedynku pokonał Stanislasa Wawrinkę 7:6(2), 7:6(3).

Odkąd rozgrywany jest turniej w Chennai, to jest od roku 1996, tylko Carlos Moya zdołał wygrać tu dwa razy z rzędu (w latach 2004-2005). Dziś w ślady Hiszpana poszedł 21-letni Marin Cilić. Zwycięstwo w decydującym o tytule spotkaniu nie przyszło mu jednak łatwo.

Mecz lepiej rozpoczął się dla Wawrinki, który w pierwszym secie prowadził 5:3. Rozstawiony z numerem dwa Cilić stratę natychmiast jednak odrobił i triumfował ostatecznie w tie breaku 7:2. Druga partia rozpoczęła się po myśli obrońcy tytuł, który wygrał dwa pierwsze gemy. To jednak nie był decydujący moment finałowej konfrontacji, gdyż i tym razem rozstrzygający był tie break. Ten od początku przebiegał pod dyktando Cilicia. Wysforował się on na prowadzenie 5:1, by ostatecznie triumfować 7:3. Spotkanie chociaż skończyło się w dwóch setach trwało aż dwie godziny oraz czterdzieści minut.

„Rozpoczęcie roku w takim stylu daje mi wiele pewności siebie oraz satysfakcji za to jak przepracowałem okres przygotowawczy do sezonu,” powiedział Cilić, który za triumf w Chennai otrzymał 250 punktów rankingowych oraz wzbogacił się o 68 450 dolarów. „Jestem bardzo dumny ze zdobycia tutaj tytułu po raz drugi. To zwycięstwo to najlepsza droga i perspektywa na dalszą część sezonu. Oczywiście wygranie tutaj turnieju daje mi więcej pewności siebie przed Australian Open. Będę miał teraz tydzień wolnego, udam się do Melbourne, trochę odpocznę i przed rozpoczęciem turnieju kilka dni potrenuję.”

Dla Stanislasa Wawrinki była to pierwsza porażka z Marinem Ciliciem, w ich piątym pojedynku. 24-letni Szwajcar nie może się pochwalić najlepszym bilansem pojedynków finałowych. Był to jego ósmy mecz o tytuł singlowy i siódma porażka.

„To przykre przegrać po dwóch tie breakach, ale myślę że pokazaliśmy sporo świetnego tenisa,” przyznał Wawrinka. „Marin grał nieco lepiej i zasłużył na zwycięstwo. Mam nadzieję, że następnym razem uda mi się wygrać. Starałem się zrobić wszystko co byłem w stanie w tym meczu. W tie breakach próbowałem być nieco bardziej agresywny. To on jednak wykorzystał swoje szanse.”

Tytuł w rywalizacji deblowej zdobyli rozstawieni z numerem dwa Marcel Granollers oraz Santiago Ventura. Hiszpański duet w finale pokonał Tajwańczyka Yen-Hsun Lu i Serba Janko Tipsarevicia 7:5, 6:2.

http://www.tenisklub.pl/?req=news&newsI … 30d0622d4d

Wywiad po 1/4 AO:

Q. Your first Grand Slam semifinal. How did you get there? What was the key to the game?

MARIN CILIC: Today was not easy. I was also a little bit tired from the matches before. First set got a lot of energy out of me 'cause there was I think not only physical battle but also was mental, the battle, the first set, to gain the advantage. So that was most important to win for me.

And then later I started to get into the match a little bit easier. I was feeling a little bit better. But he started to play pretty good in the beginning of the third. Was putting a lot of pressure on me.

Then I got lost a bit. It wasn't easy to come back. I was having trouble with my serve. Wasn't putting enough first serves in. I had to work for every point. It was tough 'cause he started to play much better and closer to the baseline and making me run a lot. Then it wasn't easy to accept that.

So the fifth set was I think a little bit turned around for me when I saved those three breakpoints in the first game. It was a little bit of a relief. I just was thinking to play point by point, to try to stick with him, and I hopefully get my chance, which I did.

Q. Andy said as a 21‑year‑old he was impressed with your composure. Is that something you've worked on or are you naturally relaxed?

MARIN CILIC: No, not really that I particularly worked on that. I'm like that naturally. And definitely it helps me to think about things that I have to do on the court, not to be upset about myself or something like that. I think one positive area in my game.

Q. Does that composure help you through?

MARIN CILIC: Yes, I would say especially today where it would be easy to let it go after losing those two sets, third and fourth that easy, and it wasn't easy to come back in the fifth. And also, of course, in the first match with Tomic where we had a pretty big battle.

Q. Do you think it will also help when you come up to a semifinal?

MARIN CILIC: I'm not sure. In this case I'm not sure yet. I think it's the biggest thing that gonna be in there for me is to try to recover as much as I can and to try to be ready that I can play on my level.

I mean, composure is nothing comparing to physical ability.

Q. What were your thoughts when you could see Andy was suffering a little bit? What was going through your mind?

MARIN CILIC: Well, when I saw he took a medical, I didn't know what was it for. I didn't know what to expect. He was that second set a little bit down with his composure also. It seemed that he was letting it go a little bit easier than in the first set. I didn't know what to expect.

Third set was a bit of a surprise for me when he started to play a little bit better. I think he went for it little bit more and gave it a shot, which was obviously working for him and not for me.

Q. In the first game of the first set, most of us would have said, It's the end of the world. What do you do?

MARIN CILIC: I just think, Oh, man, put that first serve in. I think what I have to do that moment, I tried to pick a spot, pick a combination that I'm going to play, just not think about the score, try to do the best I can on my own side and that's it.

Q. Were you surprised you got out of it?

MARIN CILIC: I was a little bit surprised because he was breaking me pretty easily in those two sets. When I got out of it, I mean, I later started to serve even better. I was mentally fresher.

Q. Do you allow yourself to think about winning the tournament yet?

MARIN CILIC: No. No, I mean, I'm still far away from that. I mean, it's tough to think about that, especially in this case where I had three matches in five sets. It won't be easy.

Q. Why are you playing such good tennis?

MARIN CILIC: 'Cause I'm a good player (smiling).

Q. Why are you a good player?

MARIN CILIC: I know how to learn. I mean, what can I say?

Q. Have you been doing any extra work over the break leading into this year or...

MARIN CILIC: Nothing in particular. I was doing my own routine. Also wasn't easy 'cause we didn't have such a big break, especially for the guys who played the Masters. But, for example, I had four weeks of preparation, which is a little bit maybe short to get ready for the whole season. And I think I did well.

Also playing in Chennai helped me a little bit because also there it's tough and humid and not easy to play. So physically I think I was ready for every match here.

Q. You say you know how to learn. Is Bob Brett a good teacher?

MARIN CILIC: Yes, he's a very good teacher. I'm with him already several years, and he knows how I breathe, how I stand on the court, what things he could give me, which advices in which moment. So he knows me pretty well.

Obviously, he's very experienced. He helped me a lot in this Grand Slam level. Without him, the achievement would be very tough to get to.

Q. Do you have the game to take it to Murray or Nadal?

MARIN CILIC: I mean, I don't know. Today was tough match mentally. Like if I would compare it with the Del Potro match, I played way better. But it's not easy when you come into these stages of tournament where you didn't get to before too many times. It's not easy psychologically to be able to bring your best tennis when you need it.

But for Murray or Nadal, I mean, definitely whoever it's gonna be, it's gonna take also a lot of energy out of me. So we'll see how I'm gonna be able to survive.

ao.com

Neil Harman's Net Post: Marin Cilic and Bob Brett - a force to be reckoned with

There were 354 points, all of them utterly absorbing, before Marin Cilic defeated Juan Martin Del Potro, a result that has only added to the fascination of Andy Murray's section of the Australian Open draw this week.

Cilic, the conqueror of Murray in straight sets in last year's US Open, has announced himself as a grand-slam contender in the mould of Goran Ivanisevic. Which is not unexpected considering it was Ivanisevic who sent Cilic to Bob Brett, his former coach, when Cilic was 15 years old. Cilic stayed for a week the first time, he would stay for ever now if he could.

Slowly but surely under the tutelage of Brett, the Australian once interviewed for the post of director of performance at the LTA but who felt the job's destiny had been decided before he had even arrived in London, Cilic has matured into a player rich in talent and of remarkable level-headedness for a 21-year-old. How he steadied his ship having lost the first and fourth sets to Del Potro, was inspirational. There are no Three Gorans here to write home about. Just one Marin.

Brett, who coached Ivanisevic through those times when he was regarded as a serial grand slam underachiever, pins great faith in Cilic but does so in his usual understated manner. Not for Brett the desire for a headline, but only to do well by any player who wants to work with him. Look at Cilic against Del Potro and you understand what the partnership is all about.

Brett is unashamedly old school. He learned the art of man-management at the knee of Harry Hopman, the legendary Australian former Davis Cup captain who ran a regime in the 1950s and 60s that 'his' players still talk about in reverential tones. "There is no question about the influence of Hopman," Brett said. "I think it can well be summed up in the words of Kipling on Centre Court at Wimbledon about treating the twin imposters of triumph and disaster just the same.

"You cannot get too excited with the wins and equally, you should not get too despondent after the losses. It is about working out what is the next step forward in either case and trying to get better. It is about imagination, curiosity, and working hard. With Marin, as with any player I have worked with, you just try to add bits as you go along, but you need to right guy to work with. A coach cannot make a backhand passing shot at break point down, that is the player's task. I regard myself as very lucky."

Which, of course, is understating the job Brett has done. Not only does he still run an academy in San Remo, he is a consultant to Tennis Canada, helping to bring the best of their nation's youth to flower. What he might have done had he been granted the reins at the LTA, we shall never know.

"All credit has to go to Marin, though," he says. "He takes the information I feed to him and it is up to him to make something out of it. It is so important for a coach to be careful. You cannot change a player too quickly, it has to be done in small steps but, equally, there is only a certain window of opportunity available because it is very difficult to change a player once he has developed a certain style."

Whether or not he wins the Australian Open, the Net Post is as certain as possible that Cilic will contest for the majors one day. His performance against Del Potro, especially in the fifth set after he had lost the fourth and the force appeared to be with the Argentine was exemplary. Brett didn't want to say as much, but he loved how his pupil responded. They are quite a pair.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ … 000449.ece

Marin Cilic coach Bob Brett happy to be home

TENNIS coach Bob Brett will pull the peak of his cap down a fraction lower tonight, content to be just another anonymous face in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

While Brett will ride every shot with his man, Marin Cilic, in his semi-final battle against Scot Andy Murray, the eyes won't betray his emotions.

The experienced Australian coach, whose mother lives in Frankston, loves coming home.

And, while it is sweeter that Croatian Cilic has already reached a career-high in Melbourne, the venue is really just a coincidence. "It's great coming back to Melbourne, but it's nice for him to win in any arena. It's all about him," Brett said yesterday.

"He has got the talent, he does all the work. He puts the ball in the court when it counts."

So how does he prepare the 21-year-old after a gruelling schedule to face the fresher Murray?

"He has worked very hard and he's well prepared for the event," Brett said.

"You cannot prepare for every single circumstance, but he's as well prepared as he can possibly be. He would have gained more confidence from getting through those (three five-set) matches which maybe a year ago he was losing. A lot of it becomes psychological how the recovery is. But in the end nobody is going to worry whether someone is tired or not.

"You can produce this statistic or that, but in the end it's who's winning the match and there are no excuses. Go out on the court and give your best.

"Today is very light (practice) as it is the other days because nothing gets changed.

"He has come through (the draw) and he has played some great tennis."

On Cilic's on-court composure for someone so young, Brett said: "It's just the way he is. That's his character, very disciplined. It's self-discipline, it's not imposed on him by anyone else. There's a quiet confidence, continually working to become better.

"He has played some really good tennis these last 10 days.

"It has been something that he has continued since the US Open and he has managed to serve well when he needed to."

While Brett played down his role in the progression of Cilic to the edge of the world's top 10, the Croat is full of gratitude for the coach who's endeavouring to steer him to similar grand slam glory as past pupils Boris Becker and Goran Ivanisevic.

"He's a very good teacher," Cilic said.

"I'm with him already several years and he knows how I breathe, how I stand on the court, what things he could give me advice. So he knows me pretty well.

"Obviously, he's very experienced. He helped me a lot in this grand slam level. Without him, the achievement would be very tough to get to."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/tenni … 5824175613

Composure of Marin Cilic will pose problems for Andy Murray

Marin Cilic was 15 years old when he arrived at the academy run by Bob Brett in San Remo, Italy, at the insistence of Goran Ivanisevic.

Cilic stayed a week. Six months later, he was back, lasted a month and the seeds of a partnership were sown. “I’m fortunate to work with somebody like him,” Brett, the Australian, said. The feeling is mutual.

Ivanisevic swore by Brett during their four years together from 1991, to the extent that when he reached the 2001 Wimbledon final, he insisted that Brett came over to watch. It was no real surprise, therefore, that when Ivanisevic first caught sight of Cilic, the first name that sprang to mind was this high disciple of Harry Hopman, the legendary Australian coach.

Cilic has looked the part from the moment he stepped into the professional ranks, a player who did not seem to be the slightest bit fazed by the company he was destined to keep.

The fourth Croatian man to reach a grand-slam semi-final after Ivanisevic, Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic, he broke into the top 100 in October 2007 and has been in the top 20 for almost a year, establishing his credentials as the heir apparent to Ivanisevic, without the former Wimbledon champion’s mad impulses.

“He’s definitely composed,” Andy Roddick, who was on the sharp end of Cilic’s 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 victory yesterday, said. “He was the same after he had lost two sets as when he won two sets. That will definitely serve him well over his career.

"He just goes about his business, does it the right way and seems like a very hard worker. He doesn’t give you any encouragement, like feeling you are on top of him. He plays similarly to [Juan Martin] Del Potro in that he minimalises his movement because he controls the points so well.”

Words that would have sounded like sweet music to his coach.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ … 003270.ece