Novak Djokovic sends a message to Marin Cilic after Croat breaks 3-year title drought at Hangzhou Open 2024

Novak Djokovic recently reacted to the 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic's heroics at the 2024 Hangzhou Open. This comes just a few weeks after Djokovic's third-round defeat to Alexei Popyrin in the 2024 US Open.

Cilic, ranked 777 at the start of the Hangzhou Open, became one of the lowest-ranked players to win an ATP title after beating China's Zhang Zhizhen 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the finals on Tuesday (September 24).

It was an impressive outing for the Croatian on Centre Court as he defeated the home favorite to win his first title in three years. The final contest between Cilic and Zhizhen was a close one with both sets going into tie-breaks but the former World No. 3 kept his nerve to take the victory over his Chinese counterpart.

Following this victory, Marin Cilic took to his official Instagram handle to share a few words on this special title win. He shared a picture with the trophy and wrote:

"This one feels extra special 🏆🎊😊! I'm incredibly proud of this past week and the work my team and I have been putting in throughout this recovery journey."

Djokovic, who has had some good contests against Cilic in the past, recognized the Croatian's impressive performance at the ATP 250 tournament. He shared the post on his Instagram story with a message, saying:

"Bravo caree"

Screenshot of Novak Djokovic's Instagram story (Image via: Djokovic Instagram handle)

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Novak Djokovic opens up after shocking third-round defeat at the 2024 US Open

Novak Djokovic during his match against Grigior Dimitrov in Bulgaria (Image via Getty)

Defending champion Novak Djokovic faced a shocking upset at the hands of World No. 28 Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the 2024 US Open. After victories against Radu Albot and Laslo Djere in the earlier stages, the Serb failed to continue the same momentum against Popyrin and lost the match 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6.

It was a disappointing outing for Djokovic as he committed numerous errors in the match, including 14 double faults. The former World No. 1 said in the post-match interview:

"I played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, serving by far the worst ever. "

Novak Djokovic has had a rough season as he failed to defend all three Slams he won last year- the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. The Serb faced a semifinal exit at the hands of Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and in Roland Garros, he had to forfeit his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury.