Marin Cilic on the evolution of tennis: ‘I think it came out of nowhere’ | ATP Tour

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Marin Cilic on the evolution of tennis: ‘I think it came out of nowhere’

Croatia showcases its quality, sporting changes and more at Melbourne Park

January 20, 2026

Marin Cilic made a strong start to the 2026 Australian Open on Monday when he ousted Daniel Altmaier 6-0, 6-0, 7-6 (3). Now 37 years old and No.

During his post-match media, Cilic shook hands with Denis Shapovalov, who even joked that 2019 or 2016 is the return of Marin Cilic. The former World No. 3 joked that it was 2014 Marin, the year he won the US Open.

ATPtour.com caught up with Cilic about his game, family travel, evolution of the sport and more.

Today he won the first two sets without losing a game. When you’re playing well it’s clear that your tennis is still there, so when you feel like you’re playing like that, what’s going through your mind?
For me, that level comes from sensitivity in training. I see where I am, I see physically how well I have been training throughout 2025, especially in the offseason. It’s also obvious that I look at what other guys are doing, what their habits are, how I compare to them physically.

Obviously, my body is not the same as when I was 26 or 27. But still, I feel that I am at a high level and it gives me great satisfaction that I can still produce great tennis. That gives me and my team that sense of excitement.

Your family is here in Melbourne, including your two sons, so you have now attended all four Grand Slam tournaments. To what extent are you still pushing to get all of this with you?
I push myself first, because I can support the family a lot. On the other hand, they can move, so that balance makes it easier. If they were at home, not going, and I was on the road, it doesn’t work because it would really break up, very quickly. I was homesick, I was; of course it’s not possible because the boys are already six and four, it would be too much.

On the other hand, they are happy to go, and I feel that I am in really good shape with my body, and my game. I think I can challenge myself this season to see how far I can go. I added another team member to my team, Mate Delic, who has been working with Borna Coric for a few years and Borna Gojo, so he is very experienced. He was also a great player, we are really good friends. I also see that as another motivation to do better and do well this season.

Guys like Roger Federer, who you were competing against, have been around Melbourne Park and you’re still out there competing at such a high level. How rewarding is that to you?
It’s good because I still enjoy what I do. And of course, it’s obviously rewarding because when I started young – when I was 15, 16 – I started with very good behavior, discipline, being professional, always having a full team with me, taking care of my body. I was planning to plan, planning some more, reaching the top with training. And if you add all these things for five, 10, 15 years, the body will reward me with some good seasons. I enjoy the fruits of that, so it’s great.

How exciting is it to see how the game has changed since it started with Roger and Rafa and how guys like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are playing?
It’s interesting how the game has changed and I think it just happened, without anyone’s influence. I think it came again because of the Covid period…. If you go talk to the Top 100 or Top 200 players on Tour, the average racquet weight is, say, 305, 310 grams. And that was impossible to see in the 2000s or 2010s 10 or 20 years ago. Most of the guys were playing with racquets that were 330, 340, 345 grams.

My racquet, I would say is one of the hardest on Tour. And so this changed and the game then changed in intensity and speed. Everyone is amazing athletically. Everybody can hit a big ball, but it’s changed the game a little bit to this way of ‘Who’s going to hit the hardest and the hardest? Who will be unbelievable in sports?’ And then it took away a little bit of the complexity of the game, the cat and mouse, just different styles of the game, that we’ve had for the last 15 to 20 years.

Do you just focus on what you’re doing, or do you rework your game to improve a bit, to deal with these opponents?
You’re trying to adapt, because obviously, times have changed, and if you expect change to reverse, you’re in the wrong position. You have to adapt to what is happening, and adapt to your needs. It’s really changed so you really have to follow what’s going on and try to do your best.

Some people may say that they would like to play Roger or someone else in the game. You’ve played all these guys since your time on Tour… If you could play one game, which opponent would you admire the most?
There are quite a few amazing champions who have shaped tennis in retrospect [at] the beginning of tennis [like] Rod Laver, how much he earned and how many Grand Slams he won during that time. He had not played for six years [in them] because he was considered an expert, and he certainly shaped the game.

And then Borg, McEnroe, Connors, the guys who played after the ’90s [with] Sampras, Agassi, and all these guys. It would be amazing to go back and play with Borg or Mats Wilander or Rod Laver.