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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 14, 2016

Marin Cilic

London, England, United Kingdom

A. MURRAY/M. Cilic

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It looks like you didn't feel a way to be really comfortable in your game today. Was it the surface, the atmosphere, a bit too much for a start?
MARIN CILIC: I think I felt I started quite well. I had first game two breakpoints, then lost my serve, came back and was a little bit at the beginning not serving that well. That I think was one thing that helped Andy to be in the rallies.

Obviously we played quite a lot in the rallies in the first five, six games. They were quite long games, quite long rallies.

I had also on his third service game a few chances, 15-40 I think again. Just felt that maybe in a few I made just wrong decisions. When I need to step in, I didn't. When I need to wait a little bit longer, I wasn't waiting.

Overall I felt I was not playing too bad, just obviously maybe a different pattern of the balls. The hitting could have been better. Yeah, a little bit unfortunate to go 6-3, 6-2 down, where it felt it was much, much closer in the first set. Beginning of the second, I had couple chances as well.

Unfortunately, that's the way it is. Obviously tougher to start straightaway with matches like these against the best guys. I'm not so used to it. That's something I guess quite new for me. Most of the tournaments I'm playing them third, fourth round at least. It's a little bit different to start straightaway in the match.

But I'm quite positive with the way I was playing. Just saying it could have been some better decisions.

Q. How are you going to prepare for your next match? Any specific thing you need to work on or fix?
MARIN CILIC: I'll see a little bit. Obviously to get into the rhythm on the serve. I think I was not hitting the spots so well today. I think obviously Andy's returning really good. That's another thing that is a little bit more difficult.

I think I'm playing Stan next match, so I have to prepare definitely a little bit better than for today. Hopefully I can start a little bit better in that match.

Q. There's been some discussion about the speed of the court. How are you finding it? Is it faster than you remember?
MARIN CILIC: I feel it's a little bit faster than what I played two years ago. I think the ball is coming quite fast. It's also not easy to just let your arm go from the rallies. You got a little bit to play it the right way.

That's why I think was today also, you know, difficult to find right decisions in the points, when to go, when not to go for the shots. Still adapting to it. But I think for everyone it's quite a good surface.

Q. Who would be your pick as the No. 1 at the end of the year, Andy or Novak? On the Andy thing, how much have you seen him progress as a player in the last 12 months?
MARIN CILIC: It's difficult to say who's going to be No. 1. It's a long way to go still. We'll see definitely how things are going to play out. There's a lot of matches to play still.

Just for Andy, I feel maybe he's a little bit more motivated obviously. The position, he's getting to it for quite some time. Obviously he's playing well. That's giving him good motivation, good confidence to go into the matches. When you are winning that much, it's obviously also easier to prepare and go with a new level of tennis.

Q. Can you talk about the shorts?
MARIN CILIC: Why not (smiling)? And then about my car (laughter).

Q. When did you discover them? What was your first thought when you said, Okay, I have to play the Masters with them?
MARIN CILIC: I got them this week. I didn't think anything special about shorts. Why not? It's going to be a few colors. Under the lights it's going to look good.

Q. In terms of competing with Wawrinka's shorts last year and yours, which are the worst?
MARIN CILIC: Next question (smiling). It's for some fashion gurus to decide.

Q. You lost with the same score almost like Nishikori-Wawrinka. You took an hour and a half for your match, so I think you played pretty well. You had to play 10 forehand winners to make a point against Murray. Is that something difficult, a stress mentally, when you cannot finish the point with one or two forehands? You said the surface is quick.
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, no, I came into the match knowing we going to have lot of rallies. Andy's playing like that. That's his kind of a game. He's moving well, hitting well from the back. I knew we going to have a lot of rallies. I didn't have problems with that.

I wouldn't say he hit several more than me, so it didn't make much of a difference. Just I felt he had a few more free points on his serve. I think that gave him also a little bit of room to breathe, especially for example - when was it - 3-1 first set, 15-40, he hit a couple good serves. In those quite long games, I think that helped him.

Overall I felt, you know, just from the rallies, I could have maybe go a little bit quicker with my bigger shots. Maybe I was waiting a little bit too long. That's what I'm saying: I wasn't feeling too bad on the court. Just few decisions could have been better.

Q. I'm sure you thought and talked about it a lot, the Davis Cup. I'm wondering if that's pushing into your mind a little bit. Have you talked to any of the guys coming into the tournament, like Stan or Andy, that have gone through what you're facing right now, transitioning from this to that?
MARIN CILIC: Not really. Not really. I haven't thought about that. I think for me preparation goes quite similar as, you know, for Davis Cup weeks during the year. Nothing too special.

I'm playing my own tournaments as good as I can. Obviously that's going to help me to prepare better. Anyway, you know, it's a Final, so I'm going to give it all in those matches. After that I have some weeks off.

I'm not too stressed about physical part. Just, you know, hoping that I can play still well here. That's going to give me good confidence for those matches, as well.

Q. You were talking about maybe the wrong decisions you made through the match. You've played so many matches lately, with high focus. When you arrive and have to focus on a big event like this after a stretch, is it an issue, more difficult?
MARIN CILIC: Maybe, little bit. I'm just saying, you know, it's the first match. You have to start obviously straightaway with good tennis. You don't have too many opportunities in matches like this.

I had several opportunities, you know, to come back in the first set, or in the beginning of the second to maybe get advantage. Few opportunities you have, and if you don't make them, the score can be like this.

I'm just saying overall I would need to obviously get a little bit more used to starting the matches, you know, like playing the best guys.

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