Cilic Serves Ace With Third Edition Of Game, Set, Croatia

Game, Set, Croatia.

The Marin Cilic Foundation on Sunday and Monday continued its efforts to raise funds for the construction and improvement of sports courts to provide recreational opportunities for students in need.

Cilic was joined by Croatian stars from inside and outside the tennis world to raise funds for the construction of a multifunctional sports court in Stankovci, Croatia. It is the foundation’s fifth sports court project.

“Extremely happy and proud. I think everyone had a great time,” Cilic said. “It’s always a challenge to get so many of us athletes together with our competing schedules, but everyone who is able, always shows up.

“It’s always special when we can all get together, especially when it is for something like this. This was the third edition of the event and it continues to grow in popularity with spectators but also the athletes; several are already setting up tennis lessons to start preparing for the next event.”

^{Photo: Envy Croatia/Julien Duval}
A who’s who of Croatian athletes participated in the event, from football superstar Luka Modric to NBA player Dario Saric.

“I don’t know if my tennis skills have improved since the last event, maybe five per cent,” Saric said. “But it’s an honour to participate in an event like this, and one of the best ways to use my free time. I’m proud to be here, proud to be among these incredible athletes.”

As always with the event, other Croatian tennis players have also joined to support, including Mate Pavic, Borna Gojo and Ivan Ljubicic.

“It’s always special to come and support this project,” Pavic said. “It takes a lot of effort to organise something like this so a big congratulations to Marin for all his work on this over the years. It’s all for a great cause and we [athletes] are always ready to join in whenever we can.”

The location where the new sports court will be built, in Stankovci, will be especially useful for local students who currently take physical education classes in a hallway because they do not have a playground.

The project is close to the heart of Cilic, who will play his first tournament since January next week on home soil in Umag. The Croatian’s father built a tennis court in their backyard to provide his children an opportunity to play. That is part of what motivated Cilic to launch his eponymous foundation in 2016.

One of the star athletes who lent their support to this year’s event, alpine skier Zrinka Ljutić, has a strong connection to the Marin Cilic Foundation. Ljutić, who was a Croatian flag bearer at the 2022 Olympics, received a scholarship from the Marin Cilic Foundation in 2019 to help her pursue her dreams.

^{Photo: Envy Croatia/Samir Ceric Kovacevic}
The athletes who participated in this year’s event are:

Tennis: Marin Cilic, Mate Pavić, Borna Gojo, Ivan Ljubičić
Football: Luka Modrić, Eduardo da Silva, Danijel Subašić, Doris Bačić
Rowing: The Sinković Brothers
Basketball: Ivica Zubac, Dario Šarić, Andrija Stipanović, Ante Žižić, and Zoran Planinić
Taekwondo: Matea Jelić
Skiing: Filip Zubčić, Zrinka Ljutić
Gymnastics: Tin Srbić
Table Tennis: Andrej Gaćina
Handball: Manuel Štrlek, Ivano Balić, and Luka Stepančić
Karate: Anđelo Kvesić
Olympic Shooting: Valentina Pereglin
Shot Put: Stipe Žunić