Marin Cilic's 2018: A year to remember
Marin Cilic was certainly one of the protagonists of the 2018 tennis season. The Croatian started the year with a Slam final, and ended the 2018 by helping Croatia win the Davis Cup.
Cilic won only one tournament in 2018, but overall his year was very positive. The final lost at the Australian Open, in five sets against Roger Federer, came just after the Pune semi-final. His third Major final was not just a case: the three Slam finals he has reached in his career, so far, make Cilic one of the most dangerous players on fast surfaces.
After some disappointing performances, Cilic also played a good season on clay. In Monte Carlo, he was eliminated in the quarters against Kei Nishikori, in Rome Marin he reached the semi-finals, while at the French Open he reached the quarters, where he was defeated by Juan Martin del Potro. The victory against Novak Djokovic at Queen's (18th career title) could have led to a different outcome at Wimbledon.
Instead, dramatically, in London, Cilic left the scene in the second round against Guida Pella. After reaching the quarter-finals at the Rogers Cup and the semi-final at Cincinnati, Cilic also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, where he was defeated by Nishikori (in what was a revenge of the 2014 final).
After the elimination in the round robin stage at the ATP Finals, he got the historic victory in Davis Cup, with his team, against France. His victories against Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were decisive for the final victory.
The Croatian's season was positive, and the victory in the Davis Cup was the icing on the cake. In the middle of the year, some ups and downs but above all many good placings. Everyone wants to avoid them at the Australian Open.
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from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2E76eKn
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