Marin Cilic knows that special qualities are required when facing such a proven performer as John Isner.
One of them is the ability to return one of the most thunderous serves in the men’s game; the other is patience since Isner was the winner of the longest match in tennis history, at 11 hours and five minutes, against Nicolas Mahut. That one stretched to 70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon 2010.
Having claimed a first Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open, Cilic clearly possessed both qualities – and it showed when the No.9 seed emerged the 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-7(4), 12-10 winner of a third-round marathon spanning four hours and 31 minutes that was completed over two days.
It helped that Cilic possesses some of the very same weapons as Isner, his game built around explosive ground strokes and his own powerful serve. Like Isner, he’s a player who’ll settle in for the long haul – at Wimbledon 2012, Cilic featured in the second longest-match in Wimbledon history, taking five hours and 31 minutes to defeat Sam Querrey. The fifth set of their third-round match finished 17-15.
There was always a sense that this match could stretch as frustratingly long – especially when it was suspended at 10-10 overnight due to fading light. After splitting tie-break wins in the first two sets, it had taken until the midway through the third set for either man to earn even a break point, Cilic doing so in the fifth game but unable to capitalise when Isner fired one of 37 aces for the match.
It was the Croat who made the most significant inroads, though, when he finally managed a break in the ninth game, then served out to take the third set in 51 minutes. While Isner would come from behind to claim the fourth set tie-break, Cilic’s earlier service break was the one anomaly to suggest the higher-ranked man had the edge.
“I was the one that was always putting more danger on him and putting more pressure on him,” said Cilic. “To finish the day on even score after such long match we played, it was not the best scenario for me.”
That was especially true given that Cilic had edged ahead in the fifth set, claiming a decisive break in the second game only to surrender it three games later. He also held a match point in the 10th game, but when Isner served his way out of trouble again, another 10 straightforward games continued until the suspension of play.
It was an extension that clearly frustrated the 26-year-old. “Honestly, after the match I was a little bit upset, definitely with the fifth set outcome. I was a break up there, and it gave John a chance to come back, even though he played well,” Cilic said.
The end, when it came, was surprisingly quick. Returning to No.1 court in afternoon sun some 17 hours later, Cilic needed just 15 minutes and two games to complete his progression to the fourth round – Isner surrendering somewhat limply when he served only his third double-fault for the match.
“Really the whole course of the match, he was the better player,” the American said of Cilic, who registered 35 aces and 85 winners in the five-set win.
Cilic can continue his good form against American opposition when he takes on Dennis Kudla for a place in the quarter-finals. The Croatian is on a 25-match winning streak against Americans, having not lost to one in more than seven years since he fell to James Blake at the 2008 Australian Open.
The voice of experience from coach Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, is helping Cilic convert his many weapons on grass. “I'm trying to be a little more aggressive here than on the other surfaces. As you know, here is a bit tougher to cover the court and to play defensively, so I'm trying to be more focused on that part,” said Cilic.
“Last year was a good point of direction where I should point my game on grass and (I’m) trying just to go in that direction this year, too.”
Clearly it’s an approach that’s working so far; Cilic possesses the marathon wins to prove it.
