Cilic in career-best form

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635093header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Marin Cilic" border="0" src="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635093header.jpg" title="Marin Cilic" /></a></div> Marin Cilic said he believes he is in career-best form after reaching the US Open semi-finals on Thursday.<br /> <br /> The Croatian 14th seed was too good for Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych in a 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win at Flushing Meadows in their quarter-final.<br /> <br /> Cilic's last-four appearance marks the second time he has been in a grand slam semi-final – and first since the 2010 Australian Open.<br /> <br /> The 25-year-old said he was at his best in New York, but refused to be satisfied too easily.<br /> <br /> "I feel I'm playing probably the best tennis of my career. I think what helped me also was the consistent play over last five, six months," Cilic said.<br /> <br /> "This year I haven't lost too many matches against guys who are lower ranked than me. That's always very positive.<br /> <br /> "So overall in the game I feel I'm playing well but I'm not getting satisfied too easy. I'm happy, but I still want to do well.<br /> <br /> "I feel that it's still a lot to improve even in some matches. I want to keep going.<br /> <br /> "Now I made it to the semis and it's completely different for me now atmosphere than what I have been in 2010.<br /> <br /> "At that time was maybe a little bit, too shocked for me and I didn't know how to deal with it afterwards. But now I'm, you know, cool and it's going well."<br /> <br /> Cilic said he deserved his semi-final appearance in Melbourne in 2010, but felt he could still improve on his current form.<br /> <br /> "I would say I deserved it at that time, too, to be in [a] semi-final, but I was putting more pressure on myself with the expectations," he said.<br /> <br /> "I wanted to do too well. Like on each match, on each training session, I was looking from my own self for too much.<br /> <br /> "Then after a couple of months everything breaks, so I feel now I'm steadily progressed a lot. I feel like I'm playing well but still I want to, I feel like I can still improve."<br /> <br /> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/skVXHPRz8P4" width="420"></iframe>

Marin Cilic tennis Tomas Berdych US Open Cilic in career-best form

Marin Cilic said he believes he is in career-best form after reaching the US Open semi-finals on Thursday. The Croatian 14th seed was to...

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Berdych tight-lipped after meltdown

<a href="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635095header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Tomas Berdych" border="0" src="http://cache.images.core.optasports.com/news/tennis/2014/9/5/635095header.jpg" title="Tomas Berdych" /></a>Tomas Berdych refused to elaborate on his objection to an umpire's call during the third set of his loss to Marin Cilic at the US Open.<br /> <br /> The Czech sixth seed bowed out in the quarter-finals as Cilic posted a 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory to advance to his second career grand slam semi-final.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> However, the former Wimbledon finalist was poised to send the match to a fourth set when he held a 4-2 lead and serving with 30-15, Berdych crumbled when a double-bounce call went against him.</div> <br /> Replays showed chair umpire Louise Engzell made the correct call, but Berdych was furious with the decision - and handed back his break advantage before losing the tie-break.<br /> <br /> He was, however, less keen to discuss the matter post match as he was with Engzell at the time.<br /> <br /> "No, I pretty much said everything, so let's leave it to decide whoever saw it and whoever understands tennis. That's it," Berdych said.<br /> <br /> Berdych did rue his own poor performance, blaming his biggest weapon - his serve, which he landed only 50 per cent of the time on his first ball - for his collapse.<br /> <br /> "I started pretty terribly. It was not the way to start the match like that. Then obviously was really tough to catch up. And really my serve was off," he said.<br /> <br /> "Basically when you have a game built on a serve, then it's really tough and difficult to reschedule it and do it a bit differently.<br /> <br /> "Today was not, definitely not the day I want to have. Yeah, that's it. That's tennis. Just need to carry over and go forward."<br /> <br /> He added: "Yeah, it was [my] serve definitely. I mean, it was horrible from the beginning. That's impossible to play with an opponent like Marin is.<br /> <br /> "Really, I would probably struggle with 80 per cent of other guys if I served that bad like today. That's something what really I need to avoid."<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/skVXHPRz8P4" width="420"></iframe>

Marin Cilic tennis Tomas Berdych US Open Berdych tight-lipped after meltdown

Tomas Berdych refused to elaborate on his objection to an umpire's call during the third set of his loss to Marin Cilic at the US Open. ...

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