The Australian Open is ready to roll, and there are some juicy first-round matches that are lined up. Grigor Dimitrov and Marin Cilic take on each other in a highly-anticipated clash in the men’s singles division, and it is hard to pick out a winner! 

Dimitrov and Cilic are two dominant players who face a tough draw in their quest for glory at Melbourne this year. The latter opened his 2021 campaign with a bitter first-round loss against Jeremy Chardy at the Murray River Open, while Dimitrov had a good start and made it till the quarterfinals in the same event. 

Venue: Court 9 (Melbourne Park)

Date: February 8, 2021 

Grigor Dimitrov vs Marin Cilic: Preview

Dimitrov did not enjoy a particularly good season in 2020 and only made it to the semi-finals of two events, the Mexico Open and the European Open. The Bulgarian veteran is a tremendously skilled athlete who also carries a big serve in his arsenal. 

However, his opponent Marin Cilic is one of the best servers the sport has seen. Cilic is six-foot-six and can strike the ball with blistering force. It will be an intense battle when these two meet in the first round of the Australian Open 2021. 

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There hasn’t been generous amounts of time for Dimitrov and Cilic to prepare for this match, but such is the situation at the moment. Cilic has won 18 titles in his career but hasn’t won any silverware since 2018. 

Grigor Dimitrov vs Marin Cilic: Head-to-Head

Dimitrov and Cilic are familiar foes who’ve faced each other before. In fact, they’ve met each six times in the past, and Cilic holds the upper hand with a 4-2 record. 

The first-ever meeting between Dimitrov and Cilic came at the 2014 Brisbane International tournament where the latter cruised to a straight-set victory. However, it was Dimitrov who got the better of the Croatian in their most recent match at Roland Garros 2019. 

Dimitrov vs Cilic: Prediction

Although Cilic leads the head-to-head, Dimitrov has played better tennis in the last few months. Hence, it would be a massive challenge for Cilic to bring out his best game and outplay Dimitrov at Melbourne. 

Marin Cilic had a disappointing campaign in 2020 and did not reach the quarterfinal of any tournament he played. The 32-year-old’s shoulder and knee issues have been restricting him from bringing out his best game and has largely faded his form. 

Grigor Dimitrov looks to be in good touch and has the edge over Marin Cilic ahead of their match on Monday. We predict Dimitrov to win the match in four sets. 

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