At the age of 32 Marin Cilic finally achieved one of his career goals when he exited the Tokyo Olympic Games with a medal to his name.
After falling short in the singles draw where he lost in the second round to Pablo Carreno Busta, the Croat reached the final of the doubles tournament alongside Ivan Dodig. The duo was unable to clinch the gold after losing in three sets to compatriots Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic on what was a historic occasion. It was the first time that an Olympic final has been an all-Croatian showdown. Prior to 2020, the country had only ever won three bronze medals in Olympic tennis.
“It was just an amazing experience to reach the final. Me and Ivan (Dodig) grew up together, starting playing tennis together and reaching those heights in the Olympics was a dream come true,” Cilic told The Tennis Channel on Monday.
“For our small home town, it was just insane to watch us play in the final against Croats on the other side of the net. For us, it was a good way to go out of the tournament.’
“The only option was to lose to the other Croatian team. We were so happy to win two medals. It’s a dream come true to win a medal.”
Whilst Cilic relished his experience in Tokyo, the former US Open champion believes some of his peers who didn’t attend missed out. Making a specific mention of the younger generation of players. Some of those who opted not to participate include Denis Shapovalov, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud.
“Quite a few players picked not to go to the Olympics. In my own sense, I always feel that those tournaments are so special,” Cilic commented. “They happen every four years, this one (Tokyo) five years. I feel it would have been a good chance for the youngsters to feel the vibe and to play the Olympics.”
Now with a silver medal in his pocket, Cilic is currently playing at the National Bank Open in Toronto where he is unseeded in the draw. He kicked off his campaign with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, win over Spain’s Albert Ramos in the first round.
The next test for the world No.38 will be Casper Ruud who is currently on a 12-match winning streak after claiming a trio of titles on the European clay. It will be the second Tour meeting between the two after the 2020 Italian Open which Ruud won in straight sets.
“He has an amazing run. He has won three titles on clay so it was probably a good decision not to go (to the Olympics) and he’s coming in hot and playing great,” he said of his upcoming opponent.
“We will see how things are going to develop here. I am feeling good on the court and it’s important to keep my mind on tennis. Hopefully, I will keep playing well.”
Cilic is seeking his first ATP title on a hardcourt since the 2016 Swiss Indoors.
