Marin Cilic, the world number nine won his first Masters 1,000 title over the weekend at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati defeating former two-time champion Andy Murray.
However, last month the 2014 US Open champion ended his partnership with compatriot and 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic and at first it was heavily speculated that the duo parted ways on difficult terms, however, Cilic refused to speak about it in a few press conferences and refused to speak about it during his title run in Cincinnati.
The Croat is now open to speaking about how their partnership ended, and he has spoken positively about the man who helped him gain his first Grand Slam singles title two years ago.
Cilic says the split wasn't easy
"Obviously breaking up with a coach is never easy. It can be turbulent. For me, it was pretty much okay. Also glad to see that Goran is working as well with Tomas. Tomas is a definitely kind of player that is a little bit similar to me, so they might have success as well."
Cilic has since appointed Jonas Bjorkman as his new coach, and the Swede has some coaching experience as he was the former coach of Andy Murray for some parts of the season last year.
The Croat on Bjorkman as his coach
"I was in contact with him during the week. We talked about the game, what I need to do on the court, what to focus on. Obviously, we just started and to have already a big win like this is really nice."
After defeating Murray in the final of the Western and Southern Open, He is now the youngest active player to have won a Masters 1,000 title.
US Open is on the horizon
"It's nice to feel young at 27, almost 28, so it's great definitely. We have many guys born in the year 1981, 1982 and they are pushing the barrier forward with age. So it's definitely great for me to still be one of the youngest ones around at the top. It's a great sign that I have many more years in front of me."
The US Open is the next tournament for Cilic where he will join up with Bjorkman, and the Croat will be one of the favorites to claim his second US Open title in three years.