	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

September 10, 2009

Marin Cilic

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

J. DEL POTRO/M. Cilic
4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us what happened at 3-1 in the second set? Just seemed to fall apart. Was it him raising his game or your game falling down, or a little of both?
MARIN CILIC: Well, I mean, definitely he started to play much better and not giving me so many chances to dictate the game. He was not missing and also putting a lot of pressure on me, and then it was tough for me to hold that level of game all the time.
Then on the beginning of the match I was playing really good and moving him a lot around, and I found after the first set that it got a lot cooler and the court was a little bit hard to play on. The ball wasn't going through the court as much as it was in the beginning.
And then he was like all the time on top of me and not letting me to find any other solution to get back.

Q. I know it's very short after the match, and I'm sure you're feeling disappointment, but are you able to at least appreciate how far you got in this tournament?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah.

Q. It's only your second time here and you've accomplished what you've accomplished. Can you feel pretty good about the tournament in general?
MARIN CILIC: Of course. I mean, I'm feeling unbelievably happy that I got to this stage. I mean, before the tournament I wasn't in great situation with losing two first rounds and one second round in Cincinnati.
I mean, had good experience here, some great matches, one comeback after being two sets to love down, and beating Murray also. I think putting my game on another level now. Of course I have little more self-belief that I can do well and that I'm also playing good tennis.

Q. Is there something that was working for you against Andy? I mean, different players, obviously. Do you feel you had something working for you when you played Andy that maybe wasn't there today?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah. I would say it was definitely different match, because with Andy he doesn't have as much power as Del Potro has, and it was a little bit hotter day that day and the ball was going through the court more and jumping much more.
So you didn't need -- I didn't need to force so much. Just to place the ball, and it would be enough. Weather today, you really needed to hit the ball to be able to get in some good position.

Q. What was the weather like that out there? It was windy. Was it affecting play today?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, it was definitely, because I was struggling to find my rhythm with the serve and to hit my spots pretty good. From one side was blowing in the chest, from the other was going in the back.
It wasn't easy to find good rhythm, and definitely I was a little bit behind with that, than him.

Q. You played against Del Potro in Australia and play again today. What can you say about his game?
MARIN CILIC: Well, I mean, what I think he is good at is that over there and over here I was one set up and also playing I think first set and a half really good today. But he was able to stay with me and to play really consistent, and he started to play much better than on the beginning. So that's the good thing that he did today.

Q. So you did break through to best eight this time. To go to the next level, what do you think you need?
MARIN CILIC: Well, definitely more matches like this and to play against them much more, against these top guys. I think I need to also play -- from my perspective, I need to play also a lot of tennis on this high level to be able to sustain it for a longer period of time.
I mean, today I played first set and a half really good tennis, and then after I dropped it. So I have, I mean, a lot of work also to do on that.

Q. You said that you spend one week before in New York, and that you were talking to somebody or talking yourself into improving the game. Could you tell us more about it? Were you here by yourself practicing one week before the tournament, or was your coach here with you?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah, I was here with the coach.

Q. With your coach?
MARIN CILIC: Yeah. I mean, just is my usual routine before Grand Slams, having a little bit time off before the tournament, getting my mind ready for the start of the tournament, and that's it. Nothing special.
I had some good practices and prepared pretty good.

Q. I thought you said that the two of you had long talks, you know, where your game is at and how to improve it.
MARIN CILIC: Not necessarily. I didn't change anything in one week, so that was just getting myself into the rhythm and hitting a lot of balls and practicing good. So nothing in particular.

Q. Well, you played terrific game, not today because the weather was so awful.
MARIN CILIC: I was what?

Q. You played terrific tennis here, so I'm wondering what has changed.
MARIN CILIC: Nothing has changed. I mean, I played also good tennis before; just over here I put some things together better, and it was working good.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297