The 600 club: Witnessing Marin Cilic’s quiet defiance of time

There is a specific kind of roar that echoes through an indoor stadium when a legend refuses to fade. On Tuesday afternoon at the Dallas Open, that sound belonged to Marin Cilic.

When Cilic’s final forehand whistled past Learner Tien to seal a 7-5, 7-6(4) victory, it wasn’t just a first-round upset at an ATP 500. It was the moment the 37-year-old Croatian stepped into a room where only one other active man resides. Novak Djokovic.

With his 600th career victory, Cilic has officially cemented his status as the ultimate “marathon man” of a generation that redefined tennis longevity.

To understand the gravity of 600 wins, you have to look at who Cilic is rubbing shoulders with. He is the 29th man in the Open Era to hit the mark, but the context of when he did it is what makes it historic.

• The 1988 Pioneer: Cilic is the first man born in 1988 or later to reach 600 wins. While the “Big Three” cast a long shadow over his career, he has outlasted nearly every other peer from his era.
• The Croatian King: For years, Goran Ivanisevic stood as the gold standard for Croatian tennis with 599 wins. By crossing the 600-win threshold, Marin has finally surpassed his idol to become the winningest Croatian man in history.
• Active Elite: In a professional circuit where bodies break down faster than ever, only Cilic and Djokovic remain as active players with 600+ wins.

Watching Cilic battle through the tie-break against the 20-year-old Tien, you wouldn’t have known this was a man who had undergone two major knee surgeries in the last three years. In 2024, Cilic was ranked No. 777 in the world. Most players at that stage start looking at coaching gigs or commentary booths.

Instead, Cilic spent his nights “reading hundreds of research papers on knee recovery,” as he told us last year. That obsessive dedication paid off in Dallas. After failing to convert match points at 5-3 and 5-4 in the second set, the old “quiet intensity” took over. He reeled off the final three points of the tie-break with the same clinical power that famously dismantled Roger Federer at the 2014 US Open.

“He’s achieved everything you can do in tennis,” his longtime friend Ivan Dodig said after the match. “From breaking the Top 100 as a teenager to this—I’m just proud he still has the courage to keep pushing.”

Beyond the trophies—the US Open title, the Davis Cup, the 21 career titles—Cilic’s legacy is defined by his character.

Whether he’s funding scholarships through the Marin Cilic Foundation or navigating the grueling rehab of a torn meniscus, there is a gentleness to him that belies his 6’6″ frame and thunderous serve.

As he moves into the second round to face either Ethan Quinn or Trevor Svajda, the pressure of the milestone is gone. Now, it’s just about the love of the hunt.

“All my dreams came true at Flushing Meadows,” Cilic once said. But standing on the court in Dallas, with 600 wins in his pocket, it’s clear he’s still dreaming of a few more.