Marin Cilic's comeback thwarted by injury, set to miss entire US Open series

Former US Open champion Marin Cilic has announced that he will not be able to compete in this year’s edition of the American Major due to a persistent knee injury.

The Croatian star, who won the US Open in 2014, has been struggling with his knee since the beginning of the year.

Cilic, who is currently ranked No. 98 in the world, underwent knee surgery in January after withdrawing from the Australian Open. He made his comeback in July at the Umag Open in his home country but lost in the first round to Flavio Cobolli. The 34-year-old then decided to skip the rest of the tournaments, hoping to be ready for the hard court swing in North America.

However, Cilic announced on Instagram that he has suffered a setback with his recovery and will have to miss the US Open, which starts on August 28.

“Unfortunately, not great news these days. Had a setback with my knee which will postpone my return on the tour and I will have to miss the US swing of tournaments,” Cilic wrote on Instagram.

The Croat went on to express his disappointment for missing the US swing while thanking his fans for their support.

“While I am extremely disappointed to be missing another part of the season, I believe better days are ahead & will keep working hard to get there. Thank you to everyone for their continued support,” he added.

Marin Cilic’s absence from the US Open will mark only the second time in his career that he will miss the event, after skipping it in 2013 due to a doping ban.

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Marin Cilic played only two official matches this season

Marin Cilic in the 2022 US Open

Marin Cilic has been one of the most consistent and successful players on the ATP Tour for over a decade.

Cilic has won 20 titles, including the 2014 US Open, and reached two other Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon (2017) and the Australian Open (2018). He has also been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world in 2018.

However, Cilic’s 2023 season has been hampered by a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from several tournaments, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He only played two official matches in 2023, at the Maharashtra Open, and in the recent Croatia Open.

In Maharashtra, he received a bye in the first round before defeating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round. He reached the quarterfinals, but he had to give a walkover to Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands due to his knee problem.

In his second tournament of the year, the Croatia Open, he lost 4-6, 3-6 in the first round to Flavio Cobolli.