Marin Cilic over injury hell and thoughts of quitting, plotting ‘fantastic’ 2026 campaign

Two years after he came to Hong Kong under a dark injury cloud, the evergreen Marin Cilic is back in the city plotting a “fantastic” 22nd season of an exceptional career.

Croat Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, hardly played in 2023 because of a right knee complaint. Following surgery, he tentatively returned at the following year’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, but barely one month after his first-round defeat succumbed again to the same issue.

“I did consider quitting, as an athlete it’s tough when you get in these situations; dealing with surgeries and difficulties, visiting doctors and hearing different opinions,” Cilic said.

“It was never about whether I had the desire or motivation, it was more whether we could take care of the problem.”

Cilic buried himself in studying knee injuries and rehabilitation methods, but relief ultimately came in the form of Dr Brian Cole from the University Medical Centre in Chicago. An orthopaedic surgeon, Cole identified a build-up of cartilage resulting from overuse.

After a second operation, Cilic was back on court in August 2024.