Federer’s 19th Slam is no certainty: Cilic is a worthy opponent and this is his chance to shine

Sixteen years ago, a towering Croat came in from the wilderness to ace his way to the Wimbledon trophy against a higher-ranked favorite. His victory was one of the most unlikely in tennis history. This weekend, a younger version of that man prepares to repeat that feat on Center Court against the best grass court player of all time. Casual tennis fans might be forgiven for assuming the result is a foregone conclusion. But four-time finalist and 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic is no casual tennis fan. So perhaps we should take him seriously when he declares that Marin Cilic is ready to become the second Croat ever to win Wimbledon.

Knocking on the door

While the more familiar faces of Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray may be missing across the net on Sunday, Cilic’s appearance is not a complete shock. Some experts actually chose him as an outside pick for the title even before the tournament began. A glance at his record shows why. He is currently ranked No 6 in the world, just behind the men who have proved to be the Big Five when it comes to Grand Slams – Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, and, of course, Roger Federer. More significantly, Cilic is the only man apart from these five to have won a Slam in this decade – the 2014 US Open. And his form, coming into Wimbledon, has been impressive.

A few weeks ago he was runner up at the Aegon Championships, the warm-up grass court tournament at Queens Club. The week before that, he reached the semi-finals of the Ricoh Open in the Netherlands. Not only has he had a good season, but he has also enjoyed an excellent record at Wimbledon overall by reaching the quarter-finals every year since 2014.

Cilic is a versatile player who has reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the quarter-finals of the French Open, a tournament he won as a junior. He has won a total of 17 ATP titles, including one in Istanbul this year. With such credentials, what is surprising is that he has managed to fly under the radar for much of his career. Not one for the limelight, unlike some of the younger upcoming players, Cilic remains a bit of a mystery man. But his story is not just one of wins and losses on the tennis court.

The journey

Born in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cilic, nicknamed “Chila” by his friends, moved to the Croatian capital Zagreb at age 14 to work on his tennis. There he met former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who recognised in him “something a special.” In an article in The Times published this week, he said of his younger compatriot:

“It’s tough to explain, but it’s something different, something that you cannot learn, something that you cannot buy. You are born with it.” 

Ivanisevic coached Cilic to the US Open title in 2014. That result, which stunned the tennis world, was especially gratifying because, the year before that, Cilic had been forced to miss the tournament because he was serving a drug suspension. In May 2013, Cilic had tested positive for nikethamide, a stimulant he claimed to have inadvertently ingested in glucose tablets purchased at a French pharmacy. The International Tennis Federation accepted Cilic’s claim and gave him a reduced penalty, suspending him for four months.

“I wish to emphasize,” Cilic had said at the time, “that I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any banned substances in my life and that I am opposed to any use of performance-enhancing substances in sport.” In the final game of the 2014 US Open against Japan’s Kei Nishikori, Cilic served three straight aces to win the title, a vindication of sorts for what he and his team considered an unfair suspension. “It was beautiful,” Ivanisevic pronounced.

A game suited for grass

The six-feet six-inch tall Croat with the massive serve and powerful groundstrokes resembles his mentor so closely on the court, that he triggers feelings of déjà vu for Ivanisevic fans. After his maiden Grand Slam victory in 2014, Cilic appeared to be the next rising star in men’s tennis. But instead of building on his success, he suffered the same fate as Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro had done before him.

After a breakthrough US Open title, he was sidelined by shoulder injury and had to miss the very next Major in Australia. Since then, while he has played some exciting matches and threatened to beat top players again, he has failed to capitalise on that earlier promise.

This Sunday, Cilic returns to a Grand Slam final for the first time in nearly three years. This is his 11th Wimbledon and by making it to the final for the first time this late, he created an Open Era record. This alone is an achievement in an era when the majors are dominated by the elite few. To get some perspective, consider this stat: in the last 28 Grand Slams, only four men outside these five have contested a final. Cilic is one of them.

In this year’s Wimbledon final, he will face Federer, who is not only the bookmaker’s favorite but also the overwhelming crowd favorite. Everyone will be cheering for the Swiss legend to win his eighth Wimbledon title and first in five years. The Centre Court at the all-England Club is Federer’s backyard, and this year he’s proved invincible since the Australian Open. How, then can Ivanisevic’s prophecy possibly have any chance of coming true?

Don’t rule him out

Here’s how. En route to the US Open title in 2014, Cilic annihilated Federer in straight sets in the semi-final. Last year, when they met again in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, Cilic won the first two sets and had his opponent on the ropes, before Federer came back to escape in five sets. Of course, the Swiss is in better form now, and playing with much more confidence. But Cilic too is playing some of his best tennis at present. He knows what it takes to win a major and is unlikely to get too overawed by the occasion.

If, earlier in his career his mental fortitude was in question, that is no longer the case as he has proved this fortnight. In both the quarter-final and the semi-final, he came back from a set down. He is fresh and confident. Cilic has little to lose, and when he plays freely, he can be utterly dominant against the very best.

The man who prefers “classic photographs” to selfies will be hoping to see his picture on the front page of newspapers around the world on Monday. Marin Cilic is “a lovely guy” according to Federer and others who know him. Easygoing, unassuming, and amiable, he’s a bit of a gentle giant.

On court he seems as temperamental as Ivanisevic once was (well, maybe not quite that much). But like the older Croat, he has matured over the years. The self doubt he once displayed when playing big matches has been replaced with self belief. The angst he once experienced while playing has been replaced with assurance. He credits Ivanisevic with introducing a key element to his tennis: joy.

Here he is at Queens Club just a few weeks ago, looking relaxed and happy.

On Sunday, all eyes will be on Federer. But standing in his way is a younger, stronger player who believes he is destined to follow in his idol’s footsteps. The door has finally opened for Cilic. As Ivanisevic puts it, “This is his chance to win Wimbledon.” The dark horse, who has already run a long long way, just needs one final sprint.

Oindrila Mukherjee tweets here.