Marin Cilic at ‘unreal level’ against Roger Federer, unforgettable first ATP match | ATP tour | Tennis

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Cilic at ‘unreal level’ against Federer, unforgettable first ATP match

Croatian speaks to ATPTour.com after taking his 600th tour-level victory
February 11, 2026

Marin Cilic celebrated his 600th tour-level victory at the Nexo Dallas Open on Tuesday, becoming only the second active player after Novak Djokovic to reach the milestone.

In which victory did the former number 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings play his best tennis?

“I have to say, playing Roger [Federer] in the semi-finals of the US Open was an unreal level. Also Rafa [Nadal] at the Australian Open,” Cilic said. “A couple of those matches were just something at the top.”

Cilic scored one of his two Lexus ATP Head2Head victories against Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the 2018 Australian Open. But the match that the 21-time tour-level champion first referenced was his famous 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Roger Federer in the last four of the 2014 US Open.

Not only did Cilic never beat Federer again, but he also took advantage of the opportunity he earned by beating Kei Nishikori for his only major title.

“I would say that was one of the best connections I had in terms of my skills: playing on the field, feeling the ball, feeling the conditions,” Cilic said. “And also just playing on instinct, being free, playing on instinct and everything flows beautifully. That was just pure – just absolutely pure, pure tennis.”

Ironically, after Cilic’s win against Learner Tien on Tuesday in Dallas, the match was between Alex Michelsen and Grigor Dimitrov. Michelsen’s coach, Kristof Vliegen, was Cilic’s opponent in his first ATP Tour match more than twenty years ago. Vliegen defeated Cilic 7-5, 6-2 in 2005 in Umag.

“I remember feeling relaxed before the match. Everything was fine. And I just prepared for the match, without any nerves,” Cilic said. “But when we started the warm-up during the match and the announcer announced me in front of a packed stadium in Croatia, I got such a great welcome and great applause there.

“My legs were gone. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore.”

Cilic vividly remembers the conditions that day in his home country, where he was competing on the ATP Tour at the age of 16.

“We played in the brutal heat of Umag and I still remember it was one of the hardest days as a youngster,” Cilic said. “When I finished the first set, I looked at the referee to get the medical, but I couldn’t see him.

“Everything was black, so it was an interesting experience, but a beautiful one.”

Now 37, Cilic stands alone with Djokovic (1,168 wins) as the only active man with 600 wins at tour level. With the amount of respect he has for the Serbian, it makes the achievement even more special.

“Absolutely, but he’s too far ahead,” Cilic said, laughing. “It’s such an honor for the longevity we’ve had in our career and so many years on Tour. We’ve had some great seasons.”

“You have some difficult moments in which you experience many things. But the passion, drive and courage remain and that has certainly helped me to reach this milestone.”