Marin Cilic: I've still not reached my peak, I can only relax and retire when I have
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Published 03/11/2020 at 10:20 GMT
Having just turned 32, you would have forgiven Marin Cilic for thinking about winding down in the latter years of his career, but the Croatian believes he is yet to "reach his peak" and insists he has more to give.
Marin Cilic au 1er tour du Rolex Paris Masters
Image credit: Getty Images
Marin Cilic insists he is yet to "reach his peak" in tennis, with the 32-year-old believing he still has more to give on the tennis court.
Cilic, who won his maiden Grand Slam title in 2014 at the U.S. Open, reached the Wimbledon final in 2017 and the final of the Australian Open the following year to climb to his highest ranking.
Even though he has currently slipped to 43rd in the rankings, Cilic is still considered by top players as a tricky opponent with his big serves and heavy groundstrokes.
"I feel that I haven't reached my peak still," Cilic told reporters after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0 3-6 6-3 in his opening round of the Paris Masters on Monday. "Peak meaning that I feel the best on the court physically, mentally, technically, that I play my best tennis.
I would like to reach that peak and feel that, 'okay, I have done that. This is what I was working for, and I can relax my mind now and go into retirement'. I feel definitely, I wouldn't say disappointed, but just, that maybe I haven't reached my peak and accomplished what I could have accomplished."
While the 2020 tennis season was left ravaged by a lengthy shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the break proved timely for Cilic, who became a parent for the first time in January.
The stop-start season allowed him to spend more time at home, something professional players cannot afford to do normally, and Cilic feels parenthood has helped him as a player.
"I'm feeling very happy on the court, off the court," he said. "This just gives me a little bit more stability in playing. And when I'm finishing tournaments, if I'm losing, I'm happy to go home."
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