Love and marriage trump Grand Slam title for Marin Cilic

Marin Cilic may have won the 2014 US Open, but the giant Croatian said on Tuesday that winning a Grand Slam pales in significance when compared to his recent wedding day.

The affable 29-year-old married longtime girlfriend Kristina Milovic, an interior designer, in Dubrovnik four weeks ago and he insisted nothing can top that day.

“We had a wonderful day with family and friends. Kristina and I have been together for a long time and to find someone like her is very special. It's very different to being on a tennis court,” said Cilic.

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Third seed Cilic was speaking after reaching the French Open second round on Tuesday with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win over Australia's James Duckworth. Cilic, the Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up, will face Polish qualifier Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the third round.

Cilic, who made the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2017, fired 47 winners and 13 aces past the 1,072th-ranked Duckworth, who was playing his first match since the 2017 Australian Open. Since that time, the 26-year-old has been battling a foot injury, which required surgery in January 2017.