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    Cilic shares heartbreaking thoughts on Federer and Nadal: "Sport was cruel with them"

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    In a recent interview with Tennis Majors, the 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic explained what drives him to try to compete with the best on Tour. At 36 years old and after two knee surgeries, the Croatian surprised everyone by winning the title in Huangzhou, becoming the champion with the lowest ranking. The former winner at Flushing Meadows also had the opportunity to talk about two legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, saying how sport has been cruel to them.

    Talking about the retirements of some of the opponents with whom he shared great battles in the past - such as the Swiss, the Spaniard or the Scot - the Croatian said: "With Roger, Andy and Rafa, everything happened so quickly. You never know what can happen, it's like life itself. It was a shame to see how Roger and Rafa were, who were doing so well, and who had to say goodbye like this. The sport was very cruel to them: they gave everything, and in a second they are out. I would like to continue playing for another two or three years. I will pay attention to my schedule, I will play fewer tournaments, but the motivation is still there."

    On his comeback on the court and what people have said to him, Cilic explained: "A lot of people asked me why I wanted to go through all this again after everything I have achieved in my career. Both would have been fine, but I had a great comeback season in 2022, reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, had a great US Open, a good Australian Open and a bit of bad luck at Wimbledon (due to COVID - ed.). I felt like I had a great season and then I got injured. It would not have been true to myself if I stopped now. I have been very professional and disciplined throughout my career. I have always trained well, planned very carefully, never played too many tournaments to stay in good physical shape. Stopping just because I had to have surgery? I wanted to come back to the tour. Luckily the family situation is good: my children are still young, they are four and three years old, so I felt great motivation from them and from my wife."

    Talking about his injury he analyzed: "As an athlete you always have the feeling that you want to fix everything as quickly as possible. You rest, you recover, you come back. The real story was very different. I had the first operation, I did the rehabilitation, but the knee started to swell. I didn't know if it was normal, if it was adapting to the workload, so I played in Umag with a little inflammation. Unfortunately, after one match the knee was in a horrible state. It had been six months since the operation, what was I supposed to do? It was a roller coaster, especially mentally. In March 2024 I decided to have another operation, I couldn't continue like this. If I had to do 12 months of rehabilitation, I would have done it. I was happy about that. I started reading a lot, talking to doctors, reading hundreds of scientific articles about meniscus and cartilage. I decided to go to the United States for the second operation and I'm happy I made that decision, because after the operation the knee returned to normal. He reacted very well and from that moment on I prepared myself to slowly come back. The title came more because of my mentality than because I played incredibly well. I played very well under pressure thanks to all my experience."

    But Marin's was a great comeback from a true champion. In a year in which tennis legends like Rafa, Murray and Dominic Thiem decided to announce their retirement, Cilic returned to the courts after more than a year and a half of absence.

    The expert Croatian player, who lived the Big 3 era to the fullest, also talked about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, explaining how the two young tennis players do not have the mentality of Nole, Rafa and Roger: "Novak and Rafa are similar mentally. If you are not with them from the first ball of the match, you can immediately go home and say goodbye to everyone. You have to be mentally ready to play from the first shot, because once they get into rhythm there is no going back. With Roger, however, it was very different. He always served fantastically, played offensively and was able to change the rhythm and the match. If we compare them with the younger players, Sinner and Alcaraz, it is clear that Jannik and Carlos are not yet at the same level of mental preparation as Novak, Roger and Rafa."

    Carlitos and Jannik, according to many, are following in the footsteps of the Big 3. The Spaniard and the Italian have equally divided the 4 Slams this year: Sinner won the Australian Open and the US Open, Alcaraz made the legendary French Open-Wimbledon double. The rivalry between the two young tennis players has just begun but has already put on a show, exciting millions of fans who are waiting for nothing more than their challenge in the final stages of the season. Alcaraz has already managed to win 4 Slams and 5 ATP Masters 1000, the Italian, who has definitely exploded in the last 12 months, is consolidating his 1st position in the world with a series of titles.

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