Marin Cilic delays his comeback, withdraws from Indian Wells and Miami

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

Former world No 3 Marin Cilic has withdrawn from the upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Cilic, 34, had a knee surgery in January and he is not ready to return to action. Cilic, now ranked at No 21 in the world, was hoping to be able to return to action during the Sunshine Double.

Unfortunately for Cilic, he won't be making his 14th Indian Wells appearance this March.

Indian Wells update:
OUT: Cilic, Edmund, Moutet
IN: Etcheverry, Safiullin, Galan
Next: Thompson — Entry List Updates (@EntryLists) February 28, 2023

Cilic, who made his Indian Wells debut in 2008, achieved his best result in the desert in 2016 - when he reached the quarterfinal before losing to David Goffin.

In Miami, Cilic also won't be making his 14th appearance this year.

Miami update:
OUT: Cilic, Moutet
IN: Ivashka, Lajovic
Next: Varillas — Entry List Updates (@EntryLists) February 28, 2023

Cilic hasn't had many notable runs in Miami either as his best result at the tournament came in 2013, when he made the quarterfinal before losing to Andy Murray.

Cilic was 'devastated' after missing the Australian Open

Cilic kicked off his 2023 season in Pune, where he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena before giving Tallon Griekspoor a walkover in the round-of-16. A week later, a devastated Cilic announced his withdrawal from 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.

A week after withdrawing from the Australian Open, Cilic took to his social media to reveal a knee surgery. "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 on January 20th. It remains to be seen if Cilic will be able to return to action at the start of the clay season.