Former champions Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic sign up to play Umag

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Former Umag champions Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic have both signed up to compete at the Croatia Open Umag this year, the tournament announced.

It's official!💥Croatia Open Umag just got more intense with the confirmation of 2 remarkable players: @cilic_marin and @domithiem !

With their previous victories in Umag, expect an unforgettable showdown on the court!🎾
Get your tickets today: https://t.co/IzpfC097iz
📸ATP Tour pic.twitter.com/yryOzsEm9J — Croatia Open Umag (@CroatiaOpenUmag) May 11, 2023

Thiem, 29, made his debut on the clay courts of Umag in 2015, when he won the title after beating Joao Sousa in the final.

Eight years later, Thiem is set to return to Umag for his second appearance at the tournament. On the other side, 34-year-old Cilic is set for his seventh Umag appearance. After losing to Alexandr Dolgopolov in the 2011 Umag final, Cilic won his first Umag title in 2012 after beating Marcel Granollers Pujol in the final.

Cilic hasn't played in Umag since losing to Tommy Robredo in the 2014 Umag semifinal.

Former champions Thiem, Cilic set to return to Umag

Thiem has had a rough 2023 season, while Cilic has yet to play in 2023 due to a knee surgery he had in January.

Thiem, who admitted to losing his inner drive after winning the 2020 US Open, recently made a complete change in his coaching staff and team. Thiem hopes his recent changes will help him rediscover his old tennis. "I changed my entire team because I felt that I needed new input.

Separating from Nicolas Massu was a tough decision, as he wasn’t just my coach, but also a good friend. We spent a lot of time together and had great success, winning the US Open. It was important for us to stay friends after our split.

I also needed a new physio, and Red Bull helped me find Matthias Kapl, who is young, talented, motivated, and a genuinely nice person. I also changed my management, with my brother, Moritz, taking over. He had worked for me for three years already, managing all my business affairs, also being a professional tennis player for 10 years.

He has built a fantastic team that allows me to focus solely on tennis. Hence, it was the best solution for me to take him as my manager," Thiem told Tennis Majors. It remains to be seen how well can Thiem and Cilic do in Umag between July 24-30.