Unlikely U.S. Open finalists Nishikori, Cilic overcome great hardships to reach final

Sometimes, life events that seem so harsh and negative at the time end up having a monumental effect in determining fate later.

Such is the case for Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori, the lowest-seeded duo to contest the men’s final at the U.S. Open since the Open era began in 1968.

Nishikori, the 10th seed, upset top seed and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets in the semifinals on Saturday and Cilic, seeded 14th, ousted Roger Federer, the second seed and five-time champion to reach his spot in the final.

When Nishikori was 12 and playing on the lone local tennis court near his home in Shimane, Japan, he was spotted at a camp by Shuzo Matsuoka, the last Japanese man to win an ATP title back in 1992.

Not only was Matsuoka partly responsible for sending Nishikori to train at the IMG/Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida when he was 14, but the elder Japanese also dealt Nishikori a crushing blow that forever altered his take on the game.

Following an ITF junior event that Nishikori lost at age 14 because he perceived his opponent to be bigger and stronger and therefore he failed to put in full effort, Matsuoka delivered a stern lecture about dedication and belief, reducing Nishikori to tears.

“He was screaming at me to work harder, that even if it’s not an easy match, you must still try to win,” Nishikori told Tennis magazine in 2011. “He was right. I learned a lot that day.”

Matsuoka’s message still resonates as Nishikori, now 24, has been a fighter ever since, especially through back-to-back five-set, four-and-a-half-hour matches in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open and then nearly three hours against Djokovic.

All this despite having an oft-injured body that has caused him fits and starts over the years and almost prevented him from playing this U.S. Open after he pulled out of two tournaments due to minor surgery to remove cysts from his foot.

Ironically, Cilic’s moment of reckoning came during last year’s U.S. Open when, instead of toiling on the courts of the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center, he was back home in Croatia, facing suspension from the tour for six months because he took glucose pills given to him by his mother that, he didn’t know, contained a banned substance.

But rather than feel sorry for himself, Cilic used his time wisely, getting into peak physical shape and practicing for hours a day with his new coach, former Wimbledon winner and fellow Croat Goran Ivanisevic. Ivanisevic, ever the jokester, helped Cilic see the upside of an enforced vacation from the game.

“It was a difficult period but it was also a good period for me,” said the 25-year-old Cilic, who returned to the ATP Tour in time for this year’s Australian Open in January and, since then, has won two titles and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. “I matured a bit more and I was working day after day. It also helped me to have enough time to put some new parts in my game, which are helping me to play this good now.”

While most tennis fans had wished for a Djokovic-Federer final, there will likely be great entertainment value in a championship match between Cilic and Nishikori, both of whom are playing for their first major championship.

The keys will be Cilic’s serve (he has hit 81 aces in six matches) and power off the ground versus the court speed and thoughtful play of Nishikori. The two have met seven times in their careers but never later than the quarterfinals of a tournament.

They have played twice at the U.S. Open, with Nishikori winning a five-set , five-hour battle in 2010 and Cilic winning in four sets two years ago. They have also played twice this year with Nishikori winning on hard courts in Brisbane and on clay in Barcelona.

Both men will take plenty of motivation into the U.S. Open final, including the $3 million top prize check. According to Ivanisevic, however, the will to win may well be on Cilic’s side.

“What happened to him last year was very unfair,” said Ivanisevic after Cilic’s quarterfinal upset of sixth-seeded Thomas Berdych. “But sometimes you have to step up and prove your hunger. This is justice for the months he couldn’t play.

“Somebody up there,” added Ivanisevic, pointing skyward, “is looking down and watching over him. That’s justice.”