Filling the role of public enemy No 1, the man who is almost reviled for having the potential to destroy the almost fairytale path of Roger Federer to an eighth Wimbledon singles title at a time he should be contemplating a competitive life on the Senior Tour, is not something that sits easily with Marin Cilic.
The quiet and affable Croatian is not one of life’s rebels. He continues to plead innocence from the charges of being a drug cheat four years ago for inadvertently ingesting a banned substance bought by his mother as a glucose substitute in a Monte Carlo pharmacy.
He rarely shouts, never swears and doesn’t share the liking of his compatriot and hero Goran Ivanisevic of angrily breaking rackets as something of a sideshow. Instead he wants to follow the 2001 Wimbledon champion onto the honour board at the All England Club and while acknowledging he is the distinct underdog in the view of just about everyone in this afternoon’s men’s final, all he wants is a chance to prove Federer is fallible in this astonishing year for the veteran Swiss.
“I would like to think I am a nice person,” said the 28-year-old who is one of just a pair of men who has broken the monopoly of the Big Four of men’s tennis in winning a Grand Slam title in the past eight years, by winning the 2014 US Open. “People are asking always: ‘Do you need to be more arrogant on the court? Do you need to be more angry, to be more selfish to win more constantly?’
“For my part, I wouldn’t agree as there is not one formula for that. I feel obviously emotions are very important, especially in my own case where I have a quiet nature. But I would say my mental toughness is on an extremely high level, I want to win and that’s the important thing.”
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Cilic is acutely aware that just about everything will be stacked against him when he walks with Federer onto Centre Court just before 2pm today. Aside from public support being firmly behind the adored Swiss, the head-to-head record also points firmly against him. He has spent four and a half hours longer on court than his esteemed opponent in the six-match path to the final. And of course there is the small matter of 18 Grand Slam titles outweighing just that solitary New York triumph.
But Jonas Bjorkman, the Swede who assumed coaching responsibilities with Cilic last November after a spell working with Andy Murray, insists it is a perfect scenario for his man to spring an upset. “It couldn’t be better,” said the Swede, who has concentrated on making his charge a far more attacking player with a sharper volley and better movement around the court.
“If everyone expects Roger to win and maintain his record of straight-sets victories throughout the tournament, then the amount of pressure on Marin’s shoulders is hugely decreased. Of course he has expectations of himself and that is only natural, but he is an intelligent person who does not get intimidated by situations. It couldn’t be better.”
After a massive disappointment, losing last year’s Davis Cup final to Argentina in front of a demanding Zagreb crowd, Cilic is enjoying a much improved season. Despite an aversion to clay, he won the title in Istanbul and enjoyed his best French Open, reaching the quarter-finals.
Then after getting onto European grass he was a semi-finalist at the Dutch tournament in ’s-Hertogenbosch and reached the final of the Aegon Championships just across the River Thames at Queen’s Club. Now finally, after 11 years of trying he is a Wimbledon finalist.
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Last year he led Federer by two sets in the Wimbledon quarter-final and saw three match points come to nothing but Bjorkman ensured memories of that afternoon have not been part of their final preparation.
However, earlier this summer Bjorkman recalled a conversation and said: “You can always learn. You have tough losses where it’s going to hurt a lot but in the end once you get over the first frustration of losing, you can always look back and see if you can learn something from it. And that’s where I think he always wants to improve.”
Cilic, in common with every other Croatian who cares about tennis, knows exactly where he was on that memorable Monday in 2001 when the nation’s hero Ivanisevic beat Patrick Rafter in front of a walk-up Centre Court crowd festooned with blow-up kangaroos and a surfeit of red and white chequered football shirts. He was aged just 13 and quietly watched the television at a tennis summer camp near his Bosnian home. He later worked with Ivanisevic, whose input on service technique was crucial to Cilic overcoming Federer among others to win his long Grand Slam title, until a split without any animosity exactly a year ago.
Cilic wants to be known as a champion in his own right rather than a clone of Goran and said: “I believe in my own tennis and know that I’m able to produce great matches at this time of the tournament. Over the course of my career, especially the last few years, I feel that I have matured a little bit more in dealing with losses, especially on a big stage. Now I know that this is Roger’s home court, the place where he feels the best and knows that he can play the best game. I know it’s going to be a huge challenge but I believe I’m ready.”
PAT CASH’S BEST AND WORST OF WIMBLEDON 2017
Best match Rafael Nadal v Gilles Muller. Five entertaining sets ending with a 15-13 climax in a clash that lasted 12 minutes short of five hours
Biggest surprise Karolina Pliskova, the Czech who will take over as the new No 1 tomorrow morning, going out in the second round to Magdalena Rybarikova
Biggest disappointment On a personal note, it’s the player I coach, CoCo Vandeweghe, losing in the quarters to Rybarikova. I honestly thought she was destined for the final
Oddest moment It does not sit comfortably for a fellow Australian who used to give everything he had to win, but Bernard Tomic’s press conference when he admitted to being bored on court and cheating with a fake Medical Time Out
Favourite memory A forehand passing shot by Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round defeat by Roger Federer. It was truly spectacular. The Bulgarian was pushed so wide he was running on the court covers but he still came up with a winner
What the organisers got wrong The situation with injured players going out to play just a few games of the first round to collect their £35,000 prize money. A better idea is guarantee them their prize money without playing the match and then letting lucky losers come into the second round with the opportunity to get some prize money and ranking points
Player to watch out for in 2018 In my mind, a Grand Slam champion of the future is already the player to watch but Alexander Zverev is going to challenge for the title next year. That is, if Federer ever slows down
ON TV TODAY
Marin Cilic v Roger Federer
BBC1, 1.50pm