You might say the odds were stacked against Marin Cilic at the Hangzhou Open. He entered the 250-level tournament in China with an 0-4 record in tour-level matches this season, ranked 777th in the world rankings, and without an ATP Tour title since 2021. When the soon-to-be 36-year-old dropped the first set of his first match to Zachary Svajda, another quick exit appeared in the offing.
But from then on, Cilic began to resemble the player of his past: a champion. The Croat also entered this tournament with 20 titles to his name, none more significant than the US Open trophy he won 10 years ago. But age, injuries and form conspired to send the veteran plummeting down the tennis totem pole.
“It’s been a difficult period for me, in these last 20 months,” said Cilic. “I’ve lost my ranking, I didn’t play too much.”
