The best Croatian tennis player Marin Čilić has returned to Umag, after a one year pause. This year he played in Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time, where he narrowly lost to the best tennis player in the world Novak Đoković. What did the following period look like?

- After Wimbledon I took 6-7 days to rest. The European portion of the season was very exhausting, I played in many tournaments. Wimbledon wasn't as physically exhausting as it was mentally.  Goran Ivanišević and I have been in Umag since Monday, training in the sun at Umag Tennis Academy and trying to adapt, but it isn't easy. Goran is being really hard on us in practice, but we endure. I think this period will be good for me in the continuation of the season - said Marin.

Would you come back onto clay courts in this part of the season had it not been Umag?
- Honestly, no. Clay is my weakest and most demanding surface. There are a lot of other tournaments, but this is a domestic tournament so it is difficult to miss

Marin is almost as old as the tournament in Umag, but still a little younger. Therefore, he doesn't remember the time when it started, he was too young.
- I don't know what I was doing back then. Probably throwing balloons around the house. I will have to ask my parents, I wasn't even two at the time - says Marin, whose road to the finals is significantly easier now that Alexandr Dolgopolov withdrew from the tournament.

- During the last few days several good players canceled so the draw has freed up a bit. From the remaining players I would pick Fabio Fognini and Tommy Robredo as the best players. It isn't easy for everyone to play on Umag's clay so I think that "hard court players" will have a tough time - predicts Marin.

He is very optimistic in the beginning of the tournament, because he has been in training for the past week. He hasn't had time to go for a swim in the sea yet, but he believes there will be time for that after the tournament.