The lower part of the male box of Roland Garros 2022 It is a land of opportunities. There is a man who knows it, who lay in the dark but uncovered himself in the Parisian night to put the rest of his rivals in check. Long time no see Marin Cilic embroider tennis the way he did today, pulverizing every forehand, landing good serves and applying hard court tennis on the clay of the Bois de Boulogne. Daniil Medvedev he was the victim of the Balkan, unable to dominate with his serve and constantly in tow in long-distance exchanges. Every time Cilic reversed his forehand and had time to land two or three shots, the Russian was on the canvas. The script of the match, of course, was expected by few (6-2, 6-3, 6-2).
After the fall of Stefanos Tsitsipas and the injury of Jannik Sinner, many pointed to the unexpected and surprising Medvedev as the finalist of the tournament. Because of his hierarchy, because of his status and because of his renewed tennis on clay. From the outset, it seemed that this kind of psychological baggage could affect him. He was not as fresh as in other meetings, perhaps not used to night conditions that, on paper, should have benefited him. The point is that on the other side of the network he had a guy who also found a place in this scenario. What we would see next would be a clinic more typical of a match on hard (and fast) courts. Such was, indeed, Cilic’s performance and his ability to impose his tennis in any context.
And it is that the services dominated in the initial stages, even the Muscovite started with two blank games, but soon a very bad game would completely change the match script. Perhaps Medvedev thought that he would not change the match by taking his foot off the accelerator at a specific moment, that he would have room later, even, to come back from the first set. The Croatian’s storming start and that isolated game certified a first set that flew by. Nobody understood very well what was happening, the Russian had not yet reached the Chatrier, but the second set was not going to cast any doubt: Cilic was facing one of his great nights.
THE CROATA, A ROLLER
The difference was marked by Marin in the points between 5 and 8 hits. More than 15 points difference Cilic beat the Muscovite in this aspect, and there is an easy explanation: Daniil would take a couple of hits from the bottom of the court, but the third or fourth ended up being lethal. In particular, the Croatian used the right reverse down the line to finish off Medvedev, a strike that set fire to the entire match and left Daniil dazed. Without the ability to react, the second set made Medvedev’s worst omens come true: he had an opponent in front of him capable of masterfully hitting the lines, with a type of tennis against which he had no answer and, furthermore, the serve was not for him. accompanying for nothing.
It was a matter of time before a new break fell and Cilic was placed two sets up on the scoreboard. Far from it was a mirage: in terms of hitting quality, the truth is that there were eons of distance between one and the other. As the Balkan continued to defy the biological clock (we hadn’t been transported back to 2014, had we?), Daniil stopped believing in him. We have seen on many occasions a decisive Medvedev when things go wrong, that he changes the rhythm or that he is inclined to try different things, but clay seems to cloud his senses in that aspect. Increase the speed of second serves? Not even the first shots worked: Marin repelled them, absorbing the speed of the ball, as if he were shooting a penalty. left? Good option, but he did not take advantage of it either and decided to abandon this tactic.
The Russian accepted the situation and waited, plain and simple, for Marin to have some kind of disconnect. It happened last year, in a duel at Wimbledon in which the Croatian let slip two sets of advantage. As unreal as it sounds, it wasn’t going to be the case here.: Cilic doubled down on his bet and continued to stun Chatrier viewers. With his eyes on and leaving a collection of shots to the lines, winning returns and even the occasional passing shot in the final stretch of the match, the Croatian was going to finish the game in less than two hours. A true exhibition of someone whom no one had in their pools and who seems to have woken up just in time, with the instinct of someone who is faced with an unrepeatable opportunity. At 33 years old, Marin Cilic does not want to be a mere troupe at Roland Garros. And it is the only Grand Slam in which he has not reached a final… be careful with him.
