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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 6, 2016

Marin Cilic

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

M. CILIC/H. Chung

7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How was that for the first match of the year?
MARIN CILIC: Was bit up and down. I think overall was of course very solid match. I have to say he is a very solid player. Very tricky. Plays kind of tennis that you can't really take him out easily, as he's really good mover, strikes the ball really well from the back of the court, and is returning really well.

So you have to earn your points against him. I think I was doing well things that I prepared before the match. I was focused a lot on my serve. I served really, really well today. That's huge plus in my game. I was expecting this season I would be serving better. That's going to be one of the keys for sure.

Otherwise in the match there were breaks in both sets. Hyeon came back after I was up 5-2, but I think he played three games really, really high level of tennis. I didn't do too many things bad in those games. I think I felt that I was mentally very solid throughout the match.

For the first match, still of course feeling bit rusty, but I feel that striking of the ball is pretty well.

Q. This is the platform you want I suppose going into the Australian summer.
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, for sure. The more wins I'm going to get it's going to be even better, so that's for sure. But it's always good that you get rid of the first matches of the season to get as quick as possible to the match routines.

When you're practicing, you're feeling great, you're feeling well on the court, but when you come on the match it's just a bit more adrenaline a bit more nervousness on the court, so you have to deal with that.

I feel the more matches I'm going to play it's going to be better. Physically I was really, really good. On a good level that's positive. I'm feeling positive for the rest of the week, too.

Q. If I read the draw correctly, you play Thiem next. That's two very good young players on the tour back to back, isn't it?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, correct. I haven't played Dominic before. We practiced several times throughout last few years and he had great season last year obviously. He can play extremely well. He's got big shots.

I have to just be focused on my game and try to play the best I can my own part of the court. I think he's going to definitely come up with some big shots, big serves. I have to be ready for that. I have to definitely be solid throughout the match, be mentally in there, and to serve well.

That's the key.

Q. You surprised a lot of people when you won the US Open obviously. Just wondering if you have any premonition or idea who the next first-time major champion will be following you or how you would go about trying to guess?
MARIN CILIC: I mean, it's tough. You have to sort of -- I mean, the first group that the guys that didn't win are the ones that are around top 10, so it's difficult to pick for sure some new youngsters that are going to make it big.

You have guys that have big game I think that in today's tennis you have to play really consistently if you don't possess big weapons in your game. So I think guys like Nishikori, Ferrer, I don't know, Berdych has been around there, those guys can play extremely well.

It's just it can happen to them like it happened to me, that I put everything together in that tournament. It can open up. Plus, they are great players, too. It's tough to pick one.

Q. What would you say your goals are for 2016?
MARIN CILIC: Goals are to come to top eight, you know, to finish the season in Tour Finals. That's for sure a big goal.

For the tournaments, obviously to do as well as possible in Grand Slams. I had last couple years playing really well in Grand Slams. I have good record there, so that's a good, positive, and nice way to start this year.

Q. Do you know if you're playing day or night?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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