As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the US Open, we look back at the 50 champions who have left an indelible mark on this inimitable event.
That he might one day win a Grand Slam title had long been predicted for Marin Cilic. That he might win the 2014 US Open was a long shot, an unexpected result that came at the end of a befuddling fortnight. But this was no fluke. Cilic shined throughout his visit to New York and was sublime down the home stretch, emerging as a most deserving champion who achieved his potential and jump-started a stalled career over 14 magical days.
Cilic first made waves in the tennis world in 2008, winning the US Open Series event in New Haven, Conn., reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and finishing the year at No. 22 in the world. Big things were expected. But in the ensuing years, the Croat settled into the second tier of the world’s top players, advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2010 and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2009 and 2012 but never really threatening at the majors.
And thus he arrived at the 2014 US Open ranked No. 16 and seeded 14th. His opening week was relatively inauspicious, a few straightforward victories followed by a four-setter over No. 18 seed Kevin Anderson and a gritty, five-set win over No. 26 Gilles Simon.
But something clicked during that Simon win. Suddenly, the 6-foot-6 Cilic’s serve had some extra velocity, his ground strokes a bit more authority and his court coverage, abetted by his pterodactyl-like wingspan, a tad more reach. That impressive package came together in an easy straight-sets win over No. 6 Tomas Berdych, setting up one of the more surprising afternoons in US Open history.
Throughout the tournament, the 2014 US Open had been building toward a Sunday showdown between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. But No. 10 seed Kei Nishikori stunned Djokovic in the first men’s semifinal, and Cilic followed with a clinic – dismantling Federer in a thoroughly impressive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory. By then, Cilic had achieved a level he had never previously marshalled, and Nishikori stood little chance in the title match. Cilic cruised, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, completing a remarkable second week for his 12th career crown and first US Open championship.
Cilic has not since equaled his two weeks in Flushing Meadows. But he has come close, rising into the Top 5 in the world and reaching the semifinals at the 2015 US Open and the final at Wimbledon in 2017 and again at the Australian Open to kick off this year.
Once labeled an underachiever, he is now one of the best players in the game, competing regularly for the biggest prizes in tennis – a run to the top launched four years ago in Flushing.
50 Fact: Cilic was the lowest-seeded man to win the US Open since No. 17 Pete Sampras did so in 2002. And the 2014 US Open singles final was the first without a man seeded in single digits since No. 13 Patrick Rafter topped unseeded Greg Rusedski in 1997.
