Marin Cilic Withdraws From Libema Open, Postponing Comeback Even Further

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Former Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic won't make his return at the 2023 Libema Open even though his return is near.

Marin Cilic has been away from tennis for a while after undergoing knee surgery earlier this year. It came after the Croatian announced his withdrawal from the Australian Open due to the injury. His return won't be happening at the Libema Open even though that was the initial plan.

It's coming though as the Croatian posted an update on social media where he confirmed that a competitive return is near but won't be happening this year. There is virtually no chance that Cilic doesn't play at least one warm-up before Wimbledon.

Hey guys! Quick update: Even though my team and I made the difficult decision to skip @libemaopen next week, I am very close to a return to competitive tennis and eager to play tournaments. My knee has been responding well to a heavy load of training, but we assessed that some extra time will give me better preparation and assurance.

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Knee injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from because the chance of re-injury is high, especially if you push hard. Rushing has seen more than one player regret the decision and Cilic opted for a more conservative approach like Nick Kyrgios who has also been out since January due to a knee injury as well.

Much like Cilic, Kyrgios also waited for the grass season to come back. When it comes to Cilci, the former Wimbledon finalist won't rush and force the issue too soon as it's been a long process and patience is key with such things. He is part of the Queen's Club entry list so his return will likely happen at that event unless he pushed it back once more.

The process is long but I am patient in order to be 100% ready.

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