Marin Čilić (Croatian pronunciation: [mâriːn tʃǐːlitɕ]; born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. He has won 21 ATP Tour singles titles, including a Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open, and has been ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) on 28 January 2018. Čilić is widely regarded as one of the greatest Croatian tennis players alongside Goran Ivanišević and Iva Majoli.
He has also reached the finals of Wimbledon (2017) and the Australian Open (2018) and won a silver medal in men’s doubles with Ivan Dodig at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Čilić has reached the semifinals or better at all four majors and the quarterfinals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, placing him among the elite in modern tennis.
Early Life
Marin Čilić was born in Medjugorje, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Bosnia-Herzegovina Croat parents. He grew up in a Catholic family alongside his brothers Vinko, Goran, and Mile, the latter of whom also plays tennis. His father, Zdenko, encouraged his children to pursue sports opportunities he lacked.
When the first tennis courts were built in Medjugorje in 1991, Marin began playing as a child. At the recommendation of Goran Ivanišević, he moved to San Remo, Italy in 2004 at age 15 to train under Ivanišević’s former coach, Bob Brett. Čilić married long-time girlfriend Kristina Milković on 28 April 2018, and they have two sons, Baldo and Vito.
Junior Career (2004–2005)
Čilić began competing on the junior ITF circuit in 2004, winning tournaments like the La Vie Junior Cup Villach in singles and the Dutch Junior Open in doubles. He qualified for the 2004 US Open juniors, losing in the second round to Sam Querrey.
In 2005, he won the French Open Boys’ Singles, defeating Andy Murray in the semifinals and Antal van der Duim in the final. He finished the junior season ranked world No. 2, winning six singles and four doubles tournaments.
Early Professional Career (2005–2008)
Čilić played his first professional Futures event in 2004 and gradually progressed through the ranks. He won his first Challenger titles in 2007 at Casablanca and Rijeka and made notable ATP breakthroughs, including reaching the Queen’s Club quarterfinals, defeating Tim Henman.
He won his first ATP singles title in 2008 at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven and reached the fourth round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon that year.
Career Milestones
2009–2011: Rise in Rankings
- Won the Chennai Open (2009) and PBZ Zagreb Indoors.
- Made the US Open quarterfinals (2009), defeating world No. 2 Andy Murray.
- Reached his first major semifinal at the 2010 Australian Open, defeating Juan Martín del Potro and Andy Roddick before losing to Andy Murray.
- Won his sixth ATP title in 2011 in Saint Petersburg.
2012: Queen’s Club and Croatia Open Titles
- Won the Queen’s Club Championships, benefiting from David Nalbandian’s disqualification in the final.
- Claimed the Croatia Open title, his first home ATP victory in 22 years.
- Reached the US Open quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Andy Murray.
2013: Doping Ban and Coaching Change
- Čilić failed a doping test for nikethamide and received a four-month ban (reduced on appeal).
- Began working with coach Goran Ivanišević.
2014: US Open Champion
- Won US Open singles title, defeating Kei Nishikori in the final.
- First Croatian to win a men’s Grand Slam since Ivanišević in 2001.
- Also won the Kremlin Cup and helped Croatia maintain World Group status in Davis Cup.
2015–2016: Masters Success
- Captured his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Masters (2016), defeating Andy Murray in the final.
- Reached the Davis Cup final with Croatia in 2016, losing to Argentina.
- Won the Swiss Indoors and defeated Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters.
2017–2018: Wimbledon & Australian Open Finals, Davis Cup
- Reached Wimbledon final (2017), losing to Roger Federer.
- Reached Australian Open final (2018), losing to Federer.
- Won the Davis Cup (2018) for Croatia, defeating Lucas Pouille in the decisive match.
- Achieved career-high ranking of world No. 3 in January 2018.
2019–2021: Milestones and Olympic Silver
- Achieved 500th career match win at Kremlin Cup (2019).
- Won Stuttgart Open (2021) and St. Petersburg Open (2021).
- Won silver medal in men’s doubles at Tokyo Olympics (2020, played in 2021).
2022–2025: Comebacks and Record Achievements
- Reached French Open semifinal (2022), becoming the first Croatian to reach all four Grand Slam semifinals.
- Returned from injuries to win the Hangzhou Open (2024) while ranked No. 777, becoming the lowest-ranked ATP title winner since 1973.
- In 2025, won Challenger titles in Girona and Nottingham, becoming the oldest grass court Challenger champion and setting a record for the longest gap between Challenger titles (17 years, 10 months).
- Re-entered top 100 rankings and scored notable wins over top-5 players.
Playing Style
Marin Čilić is known for his powerful serve, heavy groundstrokes, and ability to perform in long matches, often saving match points to stage comebacks. He has also demonstrated strong mental resilience, which has been key in his Grand Slam runs and Davis Cup performances.
Equipment and Apparel
- Racquet: Head YouTek Radical MidPlus (custom 16×19 string pattern)
- Strings: Hybrid of Babolat VS Touch (mains) and Luxilon ALU Power (crosses)
- Apparel: Initially Fila, switched to Li-Ning in 2011, back to Fila in 2016, and Head apparel since 2020
Career Statistics Highlights
- Grand Slam Singles Titles: 1 (US Open 2014)
- Grand Slam Finals: 3 (1 win, 2 runner-ups)
- ATP Titles: 21
- Olympic Medals: 1 silver (men’s doubles, 2020 Tokyo)
- Career-High ATP Singles Ranking: No. 3 (Jan 2018)
- Davis Cup Titles: 1 (2018)
Legacy
Marin Čilić is widely regarded as one of the greatest Croatian tennis players and a resilient competitor who has overcome injuries, a doping ban, and long gaps between titles. He remains active on the ATP Tour and continues to achieve historic milestones, including being the lowest-ranked ATP titlist in the Open Era and one of the few players to reach all four Grand Slam semifinals.
