Cilic reflects on his 600 victories and chooses the most special one: "It was pure tennis absolutely"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 11 Feb 2026 | 23.00

Cilic reflects on his 600 victories and chooses the most special one: "It was pure tennis." Photo: Gettyimages

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Marin Cilic ages like fine wine, and at 37 years old, he has achieved his 600th victory on the ATP circuit, pulling off a surprise at the ATP de Dallas by defeating one of the surprises of the Australian Open, Learner Tien, by 7-5, 7-6(4) in the first round. A milestone achieved by very few and placing him alongside Novak Djokovic as the only active tennis players with this number of wins.

Following in the footsteps of his generational peer, Stan Wawrinka, the Balkan player continues to play tennis for the love and passion the sport provides. Although the Croatian has not announced his retirement like the Swiss has, his end is inevitably approaching sooner rather than later. Therefore, on the occasion of his 600th victory, he reminisced about his best moments in his 21 years as a professional tennis player, in an interview with the ATP.

Cilic had the fortune, or perhaps the curse, of coinciding throughout his career with the Big 3 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic). In fact, he has defeated all three, once against the Swiss, and twice each against the Spaniard and the Serbian. Therefore, two of these victories rank among the most special in his career.

Marin Cilic recalls his most special victories on the ATP circuit

"I must say that the match against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the US Open 2014 was at an incredible level. Also, the one against Rafa Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2018. Some of those matches were simply top-notch."

But undoubtedly, his most special match took place on September 8, 2014 when he was crowned champion of the US Open 2014 after defeating Kei Nishikori in the final (6-3, 6-3, 6-3). Not only for clinching his only Grand Slam title but also for how he felt his tennis on that day at the Arthur Ashe.

"I would say it was one of the best connections I had, both in terms of my skills and playing on the court, feeling the ball and the conditions. And also playing by instinct, freely, playing by instinct; everything flowed wonderfully. It was pure tennis, absolutely pure, pure."

Upon sharing this milestone of over 600 victories alongside Novak Djokovic, who has 1168, the Croatian made an ironic remark: “He is way ahead. It's a great credit to the longevity of our careers and so many years on the circuit. We have had excellent seasons. There are tough moments, you go through many things. But the passion, drive, and determination persist, and that has undoubtedly helped me reach this milestone," states Marin Cilic, who continues at the age of 37 and ranked 61st in the ATP ranking.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Cilic reflexiona sobre sus 600 victorias y elige la más especial: "Fue un tenis absolutamente puro"