Marin Čilić rose from obscurity to become a legendary tennis player, ranking among all-time greats in the sports. He currently ranks at No.7 and caused quite a stir when he took out the World number 2, Andy Murray in round four of 2009 US Open.
It hardly matters if he’s winning or losing, Marin’s swift serving techniques and explosive groundstrokes never cease to thrill fans, spectators and opponents. He has to his name 18 solid singles ATP titles and has featured in most of the major tournaments of the game. His level of success is quite uncommon and has triggered a lot of interest in his life both personal and professional.
Marin Čilic’s Father Takes The Credit For Nudging Him Towards Tennis
Marin Čilić, the son of Zdenko (father) and Koviljka (mother) Čilić was born on September 28, 1988. The third son of his family, the tennis player has two older brothers, Vinko and Goran as well as a younger one named Mile.
Born and raised in Medugorje, Herzegovina in present-day Croatia, Marin’s father nudged his three sons in the direction of the game of tennis in which Marin showed great promise at the tender age of 7. When he was 8, he won his first trophy in his hometown and has never looked back since then.
He Was Introduced To A larger Arena In his Early Teens
Excelling among his peers in the game, Chila (as he’s fondly called) attracted the attention of indigenous coaches in his early teens and they helped him move to Zagreb which was a more prominent location for the game. It was there that he met Goran Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon Champion who took him under his wings and introduced him to a larger arena.
Fast forward to 2007, Marin Čilić triumphed in two professional tourneys of his young career; this was in April and May. Also, he defeated Benjamin Becker of Germany in the international Davis Cup while representing Croatia in the 2007 tournament. The next year, he made it to the fourth round of the Australia Open but was defeated by James Blake. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop him from climbing into the top 40 that year.
Čilic Employed The Services Of A coach In 2013
In 2013, Marin employed his mentor Goran Ivanisevic as his coach. The next year, he won his very first Grand Slam at the US Open. Čilić defeated Andy Murray in 2016, winning his first Masters title. Marin Čilić continued his impressive career run and eventually attained his career-high singles ranking on 28 January 2018 when he climbed to the world No. 3 spot.
He was seeded first in 2018 Grand Slam but performed dismally and was ousted by Gile Simmons in the semifinals of the game which took place in Pune, India.
He Came Against The Tennis Legend Rafael Nadal in the 2018 Australian Open
Čilić made it to Grand Slam where he faced Roger Federer in the finals of 2017 Wimbledon. He was defeated by Roger in the entire sets of the game though he made history as the very first Croatian player to reach the final in the Melbourne park games. Fired up, the talented star put up an outstanding performance when he faced veteran Rafael Nadal who pulled out in the middle of the 2018 Australian Open due to an injury.
In the same power play, he got to the quarterfinals of the 2018 US Open but lost to Kei Nishikori and blessedly, he was compensated in the same year when he won his 2nd Davis Cup Championship. Marin Čilić lost to Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters of 2018 though he managed to win one set out of four, denting the Serbs’ 30 set winning streak.
An Overview of His Accomplishments
Marin Čilić reached his debut career singles final In August 2008 at the Pilot Pen Tennis event in New Haven, defeating Mardy Fish in three sets to clinch his first ATP singles title. He capped this the following year by claiming the first of his four titles at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors scoring a straight-sets victory over Mario Ančić in the final.
The famed tennis player recorded a straight-sets win over the then global No. 2 Andy Murray. Though he won some and lost some along the way, Marin Čilić eventually emerged as the first Croatian to get to the Australian Open semi-finals in 2010 as well as made the top ten of the ATP Rankings for the first time, thus, becoming just the fourth player from Croatia to achieve this feat after his coach, Goran Ivanišević and his fellow citizens, Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić.
He recorded further success by claiming his debut career singles titles on both grass and clay in that order following a default over fellow contestant David Nalbandian in the final of the Queen’s Club Championships as well as a straight-sets victory over Marcel Granollers in the final of the ATP Studena Croatia Open.
He made his first quarterfinal at the Wimbledon Championships in July 2014, and in September, Marin Čilić attained the third hundred singles win of his career by claiming victory in his first grand slam singles title at the US Open, beating the five-time champion, Roger Federer en route and also Kei Nishikori – his fellow first-time grand slam finalist, in the final. This made him the first to have won a major since his coach, Goran Ivanišević.
He eventually emerged as part of the players outside of the Big Four to have won a grand slam since 2005 alongside Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Martín del Potro. His other career achievements include winning his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati in 2016, earning his first ATP 500 victory at the Swiss Indoor, winning his 2nd Davis Cup Championship, and defeating world number one Novak Djokovic at the 2016 Paris Masters
Tennis Has Made Him A Millionaire
Marin Čilić is said to have earned over $25 million as career prize money. He also earns extra income from endorsement deals with brands like Li-Ning, Line Head, and Fila. It is believed that he earns over $4 million annually and that his net worth is as much as $17.8 million.
As a way of giving back to society, Marin launched a foundation aimed at providing less privileged children with a good education. He also sponsors a tennis academy for young upcoming talents.
Marin Čilić Exchanged Marriage Vows With Kristina Milkovich in 2018
Marin Čilić is married to Kristina Milkovich, his only known girlfriend. They met in 2010 and had been dating till they tied the nuptial cord in April 2018 at Sveti Nikola Church in Cavtat, southeast of Dubrovnik. Their wedding party was attended by over 400 guests with vocalists Mate Bulic and Gibonni providing entertainment.
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Kristina holds two Master’s degrees in political science and psychology. In an interview, Marin jokingly refers to her as his personal psychologist. She presently heads the human resources department of Q Software Company.
She’s a polyglot career woman who speaks English, Croatian, Italian, and Spanish fluently. Marin refers to her as his lucky charm as she was with him during his most memorable victories.
The couple welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby boy in January 2020 at the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Zagreb. According to the Daily Jutarnji list, Kristina experienced no complications as the birth went without hitches. Marin Čilić who was overjoyed at becoming a father for the first time has since received a congratulatory message from The Croatian Tennis Association.
