Marin Cilic has had knee surgery

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Marin Cilic has decided to address his knee problem with surgery, he announced on his social media. Cilic, 34, kicked off his 2023 season in Pune, where he won his first match before a knee injury forced him to give a walkover to his round-of-16 opponent.

After Pune, Cilic announced he was out of the Australian Open. "Few challenging weeks to start 2023. After consulting with various specialists, I made the difficult decision to undergo knee surgery as it seemed the best option for a long term fix to the injury.

Thankfully, the procedure went as well as we could have hoped," Cilic announced on Twitter.

Few challenging weeks to start 2023. After consulting with various specialists, I made the difficult decision to undergo knee surgery as it seemed the best option for a long term fix to the injury.

Thankfully, the procedure went as well as we could have hoped. 🙏⠀ pic.twitter.com/dXai2TD3qE — Marin Cilic (@cilic_marin) January 20, 2023

Cilic was 'devastated' after missing the Australian Open

Cilic, a former world No 3, didn't hide his disappointment after he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open.

In 2018, Cilic reached his first and lone Australian Open final. Back then, Cilic competed extremely well against Federer but still fell just short of winning the title as Federer escaped with a five-set win. In his withdrawal announcement, Cilic admitted he was devastated over missing the Australian Open.

"Not a great start to 2023 and few tough days in Melbourne. Devastated I can't play this year at @AustralianOpen but health comes first. See you next year Melbourne," Cilic announced on Twitter just a few days before the start of the Australian Open.

For Cilic, the past few months haven't been easy. In late September and early October, Cilic made the Tel Aviv Open final before losing to Novak Djokovic. After Tel Aviv, Cilic's form went downhill in the remainder of the season as he went 2-4 in his last six matches of the season.

Then, Cilic's 2023 season got off on the wrong way. Cilic, who was the top favorite to win Pune, was forced to pull out of the tournament after playing just one match. It remains to be seen when will Cilic be ready to play again.