Former world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic has dropped a praise on Croatian superstar Marin Cilic. Cilic, 29, captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open and his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Masters two years ago respectively.

The Croatian also fell just short of winning it all at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year as he was beaten in the finals by Swiss Roger Federer. Cilic, now ranked at No. 6 in the world, reached his career-high ranking of No.

3 after a runner-up finish at Melbourne Park. The 29-year-old was bidding to stun Federer in the final but eventually fell just short as he lost 6-2 6-7 (5) 6-3 3-6 6-1. Cilic paid the price for being unable to convert any of his two break points in the opening game of the fifth set.

The Croatian also blew a game point in the second game as Federer took an early 3-0 lead. "He is a dominant factor in the tennis world. He has made a big jump in the last two or three years. He has landed himself on the fourth, fifth or sixth place and now he is a serious threat at every Grand Slam.

Novak (Djokovic) and (Rafael) Nadal are always the favorites, but had the timing been right, Cilic could have won the Australian Open. Had he made the break early on in the fifth set, he would have won the match," Tipsarevic told RTRS, as revealed on Klix.

Also read: Australian Captain Lleyton Hewitt: I couldn't be prouder of my team