Whenever a player breaks through and wins his or her first major, the first question in many people’s minds is whether they have what it takes to win another one. Some players use their victory as a springboard to greatness, whereas others are barely heard from again (i.e. Anastasia Myskina). Following Marin Cilic’s US Open victory, it appears likely his path will lead him somewhere in between these two extremes.
While Cilic reached the semifinals of the Australian Open a few years back, he had certainly not been a consistent presence toward the end of important tournaments. He did have his share of good wins, and won several titles at smaller tournaments. But not even his biggest fan would have predicted he’d win a grand slam before the season started. However, based on his absurdly high level of play toward the end of the tournament, his win did not seem like a fluke. Instead, it was hard not to wonder how he hadn’t already won multiple majors.
Marin Cilic and His Chances Of Winning a Second Major
Cilic appears to be better positioned to win another major than many other recent one-time grand slam champions. Stan Wawrinka broke through with his first major at the Australian Open earlier this year, but Wawrinka was already 28 when he won. Wawrinka is also older than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, so he is looking at extremely difficult grand slam fields for the rest of his career. Cilic is younger than these three, so he will still be in his prime when they start declining. He is also more talented than other male players who won “only” one slam, such as Andy Roddick, Gaston Gaudio, Thomas Johansson, or Albert Costa.
More importantly, Cilic has the weapons to be a serious threat on any faster surface. His revamped serve makes that shot one of the best in the game, so he should get plenty of free points going forward. (Any aspiring pro with serving issues would be wise to copy Cilic’s smooth and efficient motion, which has just the right amount of back and knee bend). His groundstrokes can be overpowering, and his long reach gives him good court coverage. None of the physical or mental issues that had plagued him in the past were an issue at the Open, and he now knows he has what it takes to win a grand slam.
Grand slam titles won’t be easy to come by for anyone over the next few years, as the men’s game is both incredibly deep and loaded at the top. But Cilic appears to be coming into his own at a time where others at the very top may be slipping just a tiny bit, which could be all Cilic needs. This certainly doesn’t mean Cilic is going to dominate the game and become number one in the world. He likely would have shown more consistency (and greatness) by this point in his career if that were going to be the case. But it wouldn’t be surprising if he puts it all together a few times a year and starts winning higher level tournaments on a more frequent basis.
At the very least, Cilic is now officially a name that every other player will hope to see on the other half of the draw. But he is also more than capable of making his stay in the club of one-time grand slam champions a short one. Assuming he can stay healthy and focused, we should get used to seeing Marin Cilic playing on Sundays.
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