The 35-year-old Marin Cilic conquered his 21st ATP title in Hangzhou, earning a notable milestone. The Croat lifted the ATP 250 trophy ranked 777th, becoming the lowest-ranked ATP champion since the formation of the ATP Tour in 1990!
Also, the success came only four months following Marin’s second knee surgery, making it even more notable. The 24-time Major winner Novak Djokovic congratulated Cilic on his incredible result, dealing with a knee issue himself this summer.
The Croat enjoyed a solid run in 2022, embracing another season in the year-end top-20. He kicked off the 2023 season in Pune and ruined his progress, experiencing a knee injury and withdrawing. Marin missed the Australian Open and underwent surgery, embracing the most challenging period of his lengthy career.
The former Major champion tested his knee in July at home in Umag, losing to the young Italian Fabio Cobolli in the first round and ending the season.
Cilic kicked off the current season in Hong Kong, facing Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round and experiencing a massive blow.
The Croat suffered a 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 loss in three hours and six minutes, squandering a 6-3, 5-2 advantage and blowing nine match points in sets two and three! Struff pulled one break back in the eighth game and denied five match points at 4-5, prolonging the battle and his chances.
Marin missed three more match points at 6-5 in the decider and another in the tie break, losing it 9-7 and suffering one of the worst losses of his career. Also, the Croat left the ATP ranking list after two decades! Cilic entered the Australian Open and fell to Fabian Marozsan in the first round, followed by more losses in the Davis Cup and Buenos Aires.
Marin experienced a bagel against Laslo Djere in Argentina and took another break from tennis, with his knee causing him more trouble. The former Major winner underwent another surgery in May, eager to fix the problem and compete injury-free.
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