Marin Cilic on the evolution of tennis: ‘I think it came out of nowhere’ | ATP tour | Tennis

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Marin Cilic on the evolution of tennis: ‘I think it came out of nowhere’

Croatian reflects on his level, the changes in the sport and more at Melbourne Park
January 20, 2026

Marin Cilic made a resounding start to his 2026 Australian Open Monday as he ousted Daniel Altmaier 6-0, 6-0, 7-6(3). Now 37 years old and No. 70 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Croatian showed he is still capable of producing light tennis at an event where he reached the final in 2018.

Leading his media after the match, Cilic shook hands with Denis Shapovalov, who even joked that Marin Cilic was back in 2019 or 2016. The former world number 3 joked that it was Marin 2014, the year he won the US Open.

ATPTour.com spoke with Cilic about his game, traveling with family, the evolution of the sport and more.

Today you won the first two sets without losing a game. When you play well, it is very clear that your tennis is still at its best. So when you feel like you’re playing like this, what’s going through your mind?
For me, that level comes from the sensation during training. I see where I am, I see physically how well I have trained throughout 2025, especially in the off-season. Obviously I also look at what the other guys are doing, what their routines are, how I compare physically to them.

Obviously my body is not the same as it was when I was 26 or 27. But I still feel like I’m at a good level and it gives me great satisfaction that I can still produce great tennis. That gives us and my team that feeling of excitement.

Your family is here in Melbourne, including your two sons, so now they’ve been to all four Grand Slam tournaments. To what extent are you still committed to experiencing all of this together with you?
I challenge myself first and foremost because I get a lot of support from the family. On the other hand, they can travel, so that balance makes it easier. If they were at home, not traveling, and I was on the road, it wouldn’t work because it would fall apart very, very quickly. I would miss home, they would miss me; it just doesn’t work because the boys are already six and four now, it would be too much.

On the other hand, they like to travel, and I also feel like I have a very good attitude with my body, with my playing. I think I can challenge myself this season to see how far I can go. I added another team member to my team, Mate Delic, who worked with Borna Coric for a few years and also with Borna Gojo, so he is very knowledgeable. He was also a great player, we are really good friends. I also see that as extra motivation to do better and do well in this season.

Guys like Roger Federer, who you’ve competed against, have been at Melbourne Park and you’re still competing at such a high level. How enriching is that for you?
It’s nice because I still enjoy what I do. And then of course it’s a reward because when I started young – when I was 15, 16 – I started with a great work ethic, discipline, being professional, always having a full team with me and taking care of my body. I was planning the schedule, planning everything else, and peaking with the training. And when you add all these things up over five, ten, fifteen years, the body has rewarded me with a few more great seasons. I’m reaping the benefits of that, so it’s just fantastic.

How interesting is it for you to see how the game has changed since you started with Roger and Rafa and how guys like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz play?
It’s interesting how the game changed and I think it came out of nowhere, without any influence from anyone. I think it was also because of the Covid time…. For example, if you were to talk to Top 100 or Top 200 players on Tour, the average racket weight is 305, 310 grams. And that was simply impossible in the last ten or twenty years in the 2000s and 2010s. Most boys played with rackets that weighed 330, 340, 345 grams.

My own racket is, I would say, one of the heaviest on the Tour. And so this changed and the game changed in power and speed. Everyone is incredible athletically. Anyone can hit the ball big, but the game shifted a little bit toward “Who’s going to hit it bigger and harder?” Who will be athletically incredible?’ And then it took away a little bit of the complexity of the game, playing cat and mouse, just different styles of play, that we had for the last 15 to 20 years.

Do you just concentrate on what you are doing, or do you readjust your game to evolve a little, to face these opponents?
You try to adapt because times have clearly changed, and if you wait for the change to come back, you’re in the wrong position. You have to adapt to what is happening and adapt to what your needs are. It’s definitely changed and so you really have to follow what’s going on and try to do your best.

Some people may say that they would like to play against Roger or someone else in a match. You’ve played against all these guys from your time on Tour… If you could play one match, which opponent would be the most intriguing to you?
There are some incredible champions who shaped tennis when you look back [at] the beginning of tennis [like] Rod Laver, how much he has achieved and how many Grand Slams he won at the time. He didn’t play for six years [in them] because he was considered a professional and he definitely shaped the game.

Dan Borg, McEnroe, Connors, guys who played after that into the ’90s [with] Sampras, Agassi and all these guys. It would just be incredible to go back in time and play some with Borg or even Mats Wilander or Rod Laver.