Not only Nadal! Croatian Cilic also announces his return to the ATP circuit

He is the US Open champion and has long been one of the world’s top players. Like Nadal, Croatian Cilic had to miss all of last season, but now he is back. How was the year without top tennis enjoyable and how did the Croatian tennis player enter the tournament in Hong Kong?

Cilic is back

Tennis fans know his name well. Marin Cilic has been part of the top ten of the ATP rankings for many years. He managed to triumph at the Masters tournament and in 2014 he conquered his most valuable title when he conquered the US Open.

The native of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not remember 2023 fondly from a sporting point of view. He was injured at the start of the season in Pune, India, and apart from one failed comeback attempt, he has not played top tennis.

However, Cilic found his positives even on the break. He enjoyed family life, had plenty of time for his two sons and now the lanky tennis player should finally be ready to return.

First station: Hong Kong

While Rafael Nadal is trying to make a successful comeback in Brisbane, Australia, the Croatian tennis player is giving it a go in Hong Kong. Both of the aforementioned venues fall into the ATP 250 category.

In Hong Kong, Russians Rubljov and Khachanov are among the top-seeded players, while American Tiafoe is number three. Cilic didn’t have an easy draw, as his first opponent was the top five German Struff.

Opening match

Jan-Lennard Struff occupies the 25th position in the ATP rankings and was thus the favourite for the match. But the Croatian soon proved that he would be at least an equal opponent.

After the first game he improved his serve to a great level, won one serve from his opponent and with the hearty support of eight aces he took the first set 6:3.

And Cilic started the second set on a similar note. He won his serves with ease, and when he won the serve of Struff twice, everything seemed to be decided. But the opposite was true. His German opponent regained his serve and took the second set in a tiebreak.

It’s hard to get back into the saddle in moments like that, and Cilic was also losing in the third set. But he didn’t wrap up his comeback and managed to level the game again. In the end, he was looking to advance again, having missed three more match points.

The tiebreak of the deciding set decided the match. And it went against Cilic. It was a controversial match. He had 20 aces but also 12 double faults. He had nine match points but didn’t convert any of them. But he certainly has a lot to build on.

Finally..

The beginning of the season is calling for a comeback. This year has been very fruitful in that respect. There are never enough interesting names on the ATP circuit and the performances of Nadal and Cilic will definitely be interesting to watch.

Both know the taste of a Grand Slam triumph. But they enter 2024 with less ambition. Still, who knows.

Source: Tennis World Usa, ATP