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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIP

June 23, 2017

Marin Cilic

London, England

M. CILIC/D. Young

6-4, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you get the sense that everything is possible now ahead of Wimbledon? We have had some strange results over the last week or so and recently. This might be a year when you can get really deep, say, at Wimbledon?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, definitely. I'm playing really well on grass. Especially also considering my form the last couple of months, I'm getting better and better in my own game. Also looking back at last three years, playing in Wimbledon, playing on grass, I had really good results. Last year, as well, third quarterfinal over there. That's I guess extremely important when getting into that kind of event, knowing that I was playing really well in the past, and now definitely with, I would say, even better form coming for Wimbledon.

So I'm looking forward to it but still keeping my feet on the ground and working day by day and just focusing on my game to keep it steady and keep it consistent.

Q. How content have you been with your form through this week?
MARIN CILIC: Really, really well. I think I played maybe the best tennis so far in Queen's up to today, looking back on all the years. I had last week a good tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch. Lost there to Ivo without dropping a serve and continued that also this week without dropping the serve to the semis.

Considering all my game, feeling quite well on most of the shots. But definitely I feel that even in some areas I can improve and I can even be better.

Q. If this hot weather keeps up and the courts are really, really hard, then your serve is going to be a massive weapon for you.
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, definitely. I think this week was nice to feel it, actually, with that big heat. It was a little bit faster conditions. Ball was coming through the air a little bit quicker. It was bouncy a little bit more.

And usually in Wimbledon it is a fraction, the bounce is fraction higher than here. It's going to definitely be good for my game.

Q. Speaking of the serve, when we spoke with Denis Shapovalov, we asked him about his serve and how it gives him confidence. He said it is, but I have to not rely on it and forget the rest of my game. Given that serve is such a big weapon for you, what other aspects of your game do you feel you can improve the most?
MARIN CILIC: What aspects of the game, other parts?

Q. You can improve on other than the serve, which is stellar.
MARIN CILIC: Well, it's definitely I think the transition game and maybe trusting a little bit more in my shots, when I actually hit a good shot to follow it up, and maybe that's part of the movement between the baseline to the service line, to get that a little bit more comfortable in that area.

I have been working on that with Jonas, but I feel that there is still some room to improve. Definitely overall when you are playing during the year, the form is going up and down, the conditions are different. For example, like today, it's very gusty, I have to adjust, and also tennis is a game of precision. So you have to work on your shots constantly and that you feel comfortable. It's a never-ending story.

Q. Semifinal tomorrow. Do you feel you need to make any adjustments to your game?
MARIN CILIC: I'm not sure. I think -- well, he's going to be the first guy that I'm going to meet apart from Isner serving and volleying, and obviously with his lefty serve he's really dominant on his service games on grass and playing really well.

Last week he won a title, also. Played well over here, three matches. Definitely it's going to be tough match for me, but I just got to focus on myself. I think it was good today that I played against Young, lefty serve, swinging, so maybe I'm going to adjust a little bit easier for tomorrow.

Q. You won in 2012. You say you're playing better now. What would you say you're doing different when you last won it here?
MARIN CILIC: Just considering everything in my game, that everything is well-placed in a good position, serving, returning, moving, hitting the shots well.

You know, maybe I'm not going to get the same result, maybe I will do, but just feeling on the court is really, really good. These last two, three months since the clay season started, I have been keeping that form really, really high and not many things have gone wrong. That's giving me a lot of confidence when I'm coming to the matches.

Q. It's been an unusual finish, we can say, the last time you won the title here. Are you looking forward to playing the winning shot yourself this time on Sunday if it comes to that?
MARIN CILIC: Why not? But I still have the title, so that's fine (smiling).

Q. So if it happens again, you'll be happy with that?
MARIN CILIC: Why not? It would be nice to win it, but title is a title. It still counts.

Q. You have been holding steadily in the top 10 for a while because of consistent performance. I know players don't like to look ahead, but looking towards the year end, where do you believe you can realistically end up?
MARIN CILIC: I believe in top 5. Definitely with my improvement so far and looking ahead for the rest of the year, I feel that, you know, my game still can keep up with the level that I'm playing. And also being the right schedule is also extremely important. I know it's not definitely going to be easy, but I believe in myself and that's what I'm targeting.

Q. Do you think that gap is closing between you other guys and the top 2, 3, 4?
MARIN CILIC: I think so. You know, it's such an even, sometimes, really small margins. For me during my career, comparing myself to the top guys, I have been different in a way that I was not able to keep that play really consistent as they were.

I think overall when I would be playing my best, I think I could match them up, definitely. But overall, during the course of the year, it was difficult for me to keep it up.

But these last 12 months, I have been improving on that, and that is helping me to get closer to the top 5. Now with my own game, getting that level up, I think I'm getting closer into that consistency level as they have, so that's I think the biggest step for me.

Q. You worked with Bob for many years and then you worked with Goran. Now, what has Jonas done with your game? What has he helped you with in specifics?
MARIN CILIC: As I have been talking about it already a few times, Jonas is really a guy that is extremely positive. I think he brought me a little bit of that stronger mentality on the court, a little bit more aggressive approach.

I'm being a little bit more motivated, and that is driving me a little bit more to be aggressive on the court, which is extremely important in my own sense.

Other part is I think we have improved this consistency part since we started to work together in the summer last year. I think I have never played this consistently good, so that's a huge step forward. And looking into my game, you know, I still feel that in some areas of my game during the matches I can still definitely improve, and then, you know, really, really positive about everything.

Q. Last two or three years you have run into Federer and Djokovic twice I think at Wimbledon. Is there anything this year you think in particular why you could beat them this time around if it happens again?
MARIN CILIC: I think I'm just playing better. Just raised the level a little bit more up. And even, you know, getting closer to Wimbledon, I'm going to definitely prepare a little bit more better playing on grass that much.

And I think the courts at Wimbledon are a little bit more bouncier, as I mentioned. So maybe it's going to help my game to be better.

So I hope I definitely can keep up with that good form. That's important.

Q. At this point, are you playing more your opponent or yourself in your belief that you can keep it going?
MARIN CILIC: I'm driving myself. In the first part, I'm driving myself to be definitely aggressive with my approach, to try to do the things that I'm doing well and not to forget about them or not stop to do them. In aggressive play, it's quite easy, actually, to back off a step back and to play a little bit more safer, and that's what I'm trying to definitely push myself to do and definitely always playing the opponents. Even you try to play tennis without thinking about the opponent, the outcome is rarely going into your favor.

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