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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 4, 2016

Marin Cilic

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Trying to work out on your Twitter feed how long you were in Melbourne. When did you get into Melbourne?
MARIN CILIC: We got last Sunday there, so we were there for like six days. Yeah, practice there and weather was good, pretty warm. Played a little bit on the main courts, and so, yeah, it was really nice. I've enjoyed. It was pretty calm. Not much people around like we are used to seeing there on the Melbourne Park.

It was really nice. We had good time.

Q. Could have done that practice here, I suppose. Did you have a reason for going to Melbourne first?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah. I mean, we chose Melbourne just to go there. We knew it's going to be a bit more quieter. We had everything there, whatever we need at the site. We could use the courts as much as we want.

Plus, also the reason is that we are going back there to play in couple weeks. That's another big reason, just to try the courts a bit. Usually here in Brisbane when I was here two years ago the courts were very, very fast, so a bit different than Australian Open.

Yeah, so overall I think it was very nice. We enjoyed it.

Q. How is the court speed compared here from your practice sessions in Melbourne to Brisbane this year?
MARIN CILIC: I haven't played here in the center court and didn't play on the center court there. It was getting renewed, so we played mostly on the outside courts. They were a bit slower this year than last year. I think that's pretty good.

Comparing to here, some guys say some courts are very fast. Center court is a bit slower than some of the outside. We'll see. I think usually here it plays bit faster than there.

Q. How do you feel about your game in general just coming off the training block? Did you work on anything in particular?
MARIN CILIC: I think I'm feeling pretty good. I had enough time. Finished the season earlier than most of the rest of the top guys. You know, I think we worked a lot -- well, obviously worked on everything, but I think bit more focus was on my serve.

In 2015 I didn't serve as well as in 2014. Even though the serve was still pretty good, I think I had some space there to be more lethal with the serve. So I think that's going to be one of the focuses this season for me as well.

Obviously the rest of the game has improved a bit as I practiced a lot, did a lot of physical work. That's always very important for me. We'll see how it goes. It's never easy to say how you feel on the training and comparing to the matches. I need to put all of those things in the matches.

Overall feeling is that I improved.

Q. Andy Murray said a couple years ago after his back issues it took him a full year to feel like he got back to where he was prior. Do you feel that with your injury?
MARIN CILIC: Well, I was feeling at the end of the season that I wanted to continue to play. I mean, most of the guys were already tired. I didn't start the season until April 15th, until sort of clay courts. Played in Indian Wells, but I wasn't ready there.

So I was feeling that I was playing better and better towards the end the season. Now I had anyway a lot of time to train, to also work on some things that I wasn't doing so well in the season.

I think I'm going to be on a really good position. And looking ahead next five months up to whatever, French Open, I don't have anything to defend, so it looks really good for me.

Q. 2015 overall, were you happy about it?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, yeah. I was satisfied with the season obviously. I mean, I didn't have any wins against the top guys. That's always unfortunate. But I was happy with Wimbledon, getting there in quarters again and semis at the US Open. That was for sure very important.

And I had of course a few more matches that I should have won against top guys that I didn't. I was just feeling that I'm close there to making that step forward, but, you know, I think this year is go.

Ing to be a bit different. Of course gives me more motivation now to look ahead for this 2016.

Q. So beating the big guys, Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, are you ready to beat those guys consistently or just going to have to wait until they retire?
MARIN CILIC: Hopefully, yeah. I mean, the thing is that I need to step up with my tennis. I mean, obviously they are not going to drop down with their level. They are going to be up and down a little bit during the season, but overall I need to be the one that needs to step up with the level to play consistently better.

You know, I think I need to be also a bit mentally stronger during the matches and getting through the matches with some guys that I should beat more often. So I think that's going to be very important for me, to keep that level during all season.

Usually in the past years when I was feeling -- when I have three, four, five months of good tennis that I am then being able to make it big at some big tournaments.

Q. Were you surprised that Djokovic might have been much better last year overall? Novak.
MARIN CILIC: Yeah.

Q. Were you surprised he was that good and will he continue to get better?
MARIN CILIC: Surprised? I mean, not necessarily surprised that he had a season like he did. I mean, he showed in last three, four years that he's the best guy on the tour. Plays the best consistently.

I think, you know, few things also clicked for him in the season. He played really, really well at the beginning, and that drove him until the end of the season. That's extremely positive for him.

For sure the rest of the guys are going to be more motivated in this season to get to him.

Q. Every player wants to win a Grand Slam. You've done that. Is there now a drive not to be just a one-slam wonder, to get another one? Is there a different motivation that you have a slam?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, I can look at it that way or any kind of way, but for me motivation is to go into that direction I know what my ability is and what I can play. That's the biggest thing for me, the biggest focus, that I want to be able to play that consistently.

If I'm going to win Grand Slam with that tennis, who knows. Maybe yes, maybe not. But I want to be there. If I'm going to be a winner of Grand Slams in in the future, I think hopefully with that kind of tennis I played at the US Open I think I have pretty good shot.

That's what drives me. It's not that I'm going to be thinking too much about stuff around. Of course the motivation is really there. That is good road for me to follow. I know what things I need to work on with my game, what things really worked.

So I think that's positive. I don't have as many questions as before.

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