2014 US Open Final: Ten Things You Should Know

THERE have been 39 grand slam finals since Marat Safin beat Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open in 2005. Every single one of those deciders has featured Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. But that incredible streak will ended, when two men you’ve probably never heard of contested the final of this year’s US Open. MORE: The end of a tennis era The first finalist, world number 11 Kei Nishikori, beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. His opponent, 16th-ranked Marin Cilic, trounced Roger Federer. They both clearly deserve to be there, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less anonymous to the average fan. Here at news.com.au, we are of the firm belief that it helps to know which player is which when you’re watching a game of tennis. So, here are 10 fast facts about the unlikely US Open finalists. Think of the following as a “baseline” of knowledge. 1. NISHIKORI IS ASIA’S FIRST MALE FINALIST Nishikori’s run to the semi-finals was impressive enough — he was the first Japanese player to reach that stage of a grand slam since Jiro Satoh in 1933. But wait, it gets better. No man playing for an Asian country, full stop, has made it to a final before. Of course, China’s Li Na has been competitive at the highest level of female tennis for years, and she’s won two grand slams. Her countrywoman, Shuai Peng, managed to reach the semi-finals of this tournament. So with all due respect to Nishikori, the women made history first. 2. CILIC WAS BANNED OVER DOPING CHARGE The Croatian didn’t even play at last year’s US Open because he was serving a four-month suspension after testing positive for a banned stimulant, nikethamide. Cilic said he ingested the substance unintentionally, without knowing it was an ingredient in a glucose tablet. He felt the suspension was unfair, but used the time off to improve his game. "I matured a bit more and I was working, day after day. I wasn’t relaxing and doing nothing. So I think that helped me to improve physically,” he said after beating Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. "Also, it helped me to have enough time to put some new parts in my game, which are helping me to play this good now." 3. NISHIKORI HAS BECOME A GIANT-KILLER OVERNIGHT Throughout the first seven seasons of his career, Nishikori only won nine matches against opponents ranked inside the world’s top 10. This year alone, he has beaten Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic (twice) and David Ferrer (also twice). As a result, Nishikori himself should break into the top 10 when the Open finishes. At the age of 24, his career could be peaking ... or perhaps it’s just starting to get interesting. 4. ‘NAUGHTY’ GORAN IVANISEVIC IS CILIC’S COACH Yes, naughty Goran is back. The former Wimbledon champion and famous tantrum-thrower has mentored Cilic since the age of 14, but only became his official coach last year. Since then, Cilic’s confidence has grown exponentially. Coincidence? "The way he played, you can just be proud as a coach,” Ivanisevic said after the semi-final, according to the Daily Mail. “Second semi-final, playing against probably the best player ever and giving him a tennis lesson, it’s unbelievable." 5. NOT NAUGHTY MICHAEL CHANG IS NISHIKORI’S COACH Chang remains the youngest male grand slam champion in the history of the sport, having claimed the French Open title as a 17-year-old in 1989. He’s slightly more sane than Ivanesivic, and therefore less interesting. However, it’s intriguing that both finalists have employed former champions to help them. The two men they vanquished in the semi-finals — Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic — are also coached by tennis legends (Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, respectively). There’s a definite trend developing here. 6. CILIC’S NAME CONFUSES PEOPLE Some commentators call him Marin “Silic”. Others call him “Kilic”. Then there’s “Kilich”. Those people are all wrong. Essentially, if you say “Chilich”, you’ll get a pass mark. Frankly, we don’t really care which pronunciation you pick, as long as you do NOT say his name like this. 7. NISHIKORI ALMOST MISSED THE OPEN According to the Washington Post, Nishikori underwent surgery to remove a cyst in his right foot last month, and he considered skipping the US Open. We bet that foot stung a bit in the lead-up to his semi-final. Nishikori spent nine hours on court during the previous two rounds against Milos Raonic and Stanislas Wawrinka, both of whom were highly-ranked players. He didn’t seem all that bothered against Djokovic though. 8. THEY’RE THE FIRST PAIR OF DEBUTANTS SINCE 2005 The last time two players reached their first final at the same grand slam, their names were Mariano Puerta and Rafael Nadal. You might be familiar with Nadal — he’s won another 13 major titles since. Puerta hasn’t enjoyed himself quite as much. Obviously, Nishikori and Cilic want to emulate Nadal, not Puerta. No one will remember the loser of this match. 9. THEIR ODDS OF MAKING THE FINAL WERE 5000-1 Initially, the TAB didn’t even bother to offer a price for a Nishikori-Cilic matchup in the final, but if it had, the odds would have been about 5000-1. In the betting agency’s words, those are roughly the same odds you’d get for a bet on cellar-dwellers Leicester City to win the English Premier League. 10. THEY SHOULD BOTH WATCH OUT FOR THIS AUSSIE KID Another person you’ve never heard of, 17-year-old Aussie Omar Jasika, just became the first boy in 28 years to claim both the junior singles and doubles titles at the US Open. He fought back from a set and a break down to beat the equally-anonymous Quentin Halys. Whoever wins the actual US Open tomorrow morning, it’s a safe bet they’ll be losing to young Omar within a few years. At least, we’d like to think so.