Outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, not many stars were able to get their hands on a Grand Slam title during the 2010s.
Andy Murray emerged victorious twice at Wimbledon and claimed the 2012 US Open, while Stan Wawrinka also triumphed in New York, as well as Melbourne and Paris.
The only other player to secure a major during the peak of the ‘big three’ era was Marin Cilic, who did so at Flushing Meadows in 2014.
Cilic became just the second Croatian in history to win a men’s singles Grand Slam title, after Goran Ivanisevic, his coach at the time, to whom he made a bold claim prior to his victory that year.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty ImagesWhat Marin Cilic told his team before the 2014 US Open started
In an interview with ‘The Tennis Mentor’, the former world number three recalled: “It’s funny, so I was playing Toronto and Cincy, came here [New York] and then we decided to go for the first hit on [Arthur] Ashe Stadium in the night to just feel the conditions.
“Because you know, during the practice week, maybe I won’t get a chance, so we went the first day.
“I was hitting with Goran, and some practice guys, and I was telling the team: ‘I mean, it’s impossible to play bad at this stadium, you know?’
“And they were laughing at me like, ‘Wow! Let’s see you at the tournament.’ And I said: ‘Okay, you’ll see.’
“Then, when I reached the quarters, I didn’t lose a set until the end of the tournament. So I was like, ‘You see now?’
“For me, there was the great feeling, you know, coming on this huge stadium. You know, it’s a beautiful atmosphere, an oasis for tennis.
“You just feel the ball beautifully, and so for my game, where I need to be in great contact, to play offensive tennis, you know, that’s just the perfect combination.”
Marin Cilic’s route to the 2014 US Open title
Cilic’s 2014 US Open campaign began rather comfortably, advancing past Marcos Baghdatis via walkover in the first round, before sweeping aside a qualifier in round two.
His third round opponent came in the form of former Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson, who he beat in four sets before coming through his fourth round clash with Gilles Simon in five.
RoundOpponentFinalKei Nishikori (W)SemifinalRoger Federer (W)QuarterfinalTomas Berdych (W)Fourth RoundGilles Simon (W)Third RoundKevin Anderson (W)Seond RoundIllya Marchenko (W)First RoundMarcos Baghdatis (W)
From the quarterfinals onwards, Cilic did not drop a set, knocking out sixth seed Tomas Berdych and earning the biggest upset win of his career against Federer.
In the final, he played Kei Nishikori, who himself had earned a shocking victory over Djokovic in the other semifinal.
Cilic continued his hot streak against Nishikori in the championship match, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to hoist the title and make history for his country.