2014 U.S.OPEN CHAMP MARIN CILIC & GORAN IVANISEVIC HAVE CREATED A MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

Written by: Staff on 9th September 2014

2014 U.S.OPEN CHAMP MARIN CILIC & GORAN IVANISEVIC HAVE CREATED A MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

epa04392634 Marin Cilic of Croatia poses with his US Open Championship trophy on the Top of the Rock observation deck in New York, New York, USA, 9 September 2014. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

New US Open champion Marin Cilic was quick to praise the inspiration given to him by one-time hero and now coach Goran Ivanisevic and reveal the part the 2001 Wimbledon winner played in last nights triumph on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

After rounding off his $3 million victory over Kei Nishikori, Cilic dashed through the crowd to celebrate with Ivanisevic and the rest of his support team before receiving the trophy from United States Tennis Association chairman Dave Haggerty . But the 25 year-old victor claimed: The main advice Goran gave to me was not to think too much.

Cilic swept to the title, pummeling the unfortunate Nishikori with 17 aces in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 final rout that only lasted one hour 54 minutes and continuing his praise of Ivanisevic, he said: We are working really hard, but the most important thing Goran brought to me was joy in tennis and always having fun.

He elaborated: Goran brought just, in the team, a very relaxed atmosphere, besides extremely huge knowledge.

Marin Cilic of Croatia hits a return to Kei Nishikori of Japan during the men’s final match on the fifteenth day of the 2014 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 08 September 2014. The US Open runs through 08 September, a 15-day schedule. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

At the beginning when we started to work, we sat together and Goran told me that my game and my tennis has to be aggressive tennis. I can’t play too much tactically, because most of the times before I was dealing too much with the tactics against players and not focusing on my game.

‘It wasn’t easy to change my perspective and to change completely my mindset. It took even five, six months of the tournaments to be able to sink that into me and that I know on the court that’s the right way for me to play.

The triumph came less than a year after Cilic was banned from tennis after testing positive for ingesting an illegal substance. It seems completely unreal to be called Grand Slam champion, he admitted.

Cilic was banned after testing positive in Munich during the spring of 2013 after his mother bought what she and her son believed to be simple glucose tablets at a Monte Carlo pharmacy. He was initially suspended for nine months but after appealing to the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS), the sentence was reduced to four months.

It would be wrong to say Cilic has now forgotten the torment he went through but he can now positively move forward with his career and added: Everything I was working for and dreaming came today. And I feel for all those other players who are working hard this is a big sign and big hope that if you are working hard things are going to pay off.

Ivanisevic was understandably emotional after watching Cilic succeed him to become only the second Croatian male player ever to win major title. Preceding victories against Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer were climaxed by the emphatic win over Nishikori and Ivanisevic said: This is a little new fresh breath of air for tennis, and tennis needed this.

Cilic clicked into a stunning mode of tennis during the closing set of his fourth round win over Frenchman Gilles Simon and Ivanisevic added: I knew its possible, but I didn’t know that he can play ten sets like this. Nobody can play ten perfect sets in a row. This is wow. Amazing.

Topics: 2014 US Open, Arthur Ashe Stadium, Goran Ivanisevic, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Roger Federer, Tennis, Tomas Berdych

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10sBalls_com says:

September 9, 2014 at 12:04 pm

2014 @usopen #CHAMP @cilic_marin & @OfficialGoran HAVE CREATED A MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY- http://t.co/ih7q4epVxD #tennis #USOpen #Cilic

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