He returned in August last year, finding his form immediately as Cilic won the Hangzhou Open, beating home favorite Zhang Zhizhen in the final.

In doing so, Cilic became the lowest-ranked ATP Tour champion since the rankings were introduced in 1973, having entered the event as the world number 777.

Since then, the 36-year-old has won just one match, most recently falling to defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in Doha.

As he struggles on his current ATP Tour comeback, one top tennis star may be looking at Cilic’s return to tennis in 2014 as inspiration.

Marin Cilic found a ‘different perspective’ when banned from tennis in 2013

The world of tennis is still recovering from the recent news of Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban.

With Sinner’s doping case finally resolved he can now look ahead to his return to the sport in Rome, three months from now.

When he does return, he will aim to become just the second male player in history to win a Major title having served a ban.

Cilic received a nine-month ban after testing positive for the banned substance Nikethamide in September 2013.

After arguing his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, suggesting that the banned substance was ingested via glucose tablets bought by a member of his team at a pharmacy, Cilic’s ban was reduced to four months, allowing him to return to action in 2014.

He did so at the Brisbane International, securing wins over Denis Istomin and Grigor Dimitrov before falling to defeat against Kei Nishikori.

Following his second-round win over Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, Cilic was asked whether it felt like he was embarking on a ‘new career.’

“Feels still the same career, but feels like a new beginning for me,” he said.

“Just with the new team and everything, I’m thinking about everything around myself in a different perspective.”

The Croat brought in his countryman Goran Ivanisevic as his coach while suspended from tennis, a move that he was happy with in Brisbane.

“For me, I had a lot of time to think about everything and time to work,” said Cilic.

“Probably as you saw, I improved my serve, that was something special from Goran [Ivanisevic], we worked a lot on the serve during the off‑season.

“I feel it’s in a really good place and it could help me to play much better, especially against top players.

“I’m excited to be in the season and to play, to be back on the tour after all that misery last year.”

Cilic also explained how he wisely spent the time out of the game healing his body ahead of another grueling year on the ATP Tour.

“I’m refreshed, I used that time to work a little bit more physically to try to get my body in a good shape and that I’m protected also for injuries,” he said.

“I used this time also good to heal my knee, I feel it’s good.

“We’ll see how it’s going to be when I’m going to play more matches.”

Marin Cilic won the 2014 US Open one year after serving his ban

Cilic won his next ATP title just one month after returning in Brisbane, taking down Tommy Haas to win his home tournament in Zagreb.

Results continued to improve throughout the year, as Cilic entered the US Open with high hopes.

• 2014 Australian Open – Lost in 2R
• 2014 Zagreb Indoors – Won
• 2014 Rotterdam Open – Lost in F
• 2014 Delray Beach – Won
• 2014 French Open – Lost in 3R
• 2014 Wimbledon – Lost in QF

Cilic was the 14th seed in New York but proved a class above as he reached the final, securing shock wins over the likes of Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer.

The Croat then faced off against Kei Nishikori in the final, the man who had beaten him in his first tournament back from suspension earlier in the year.

His Japanese opponent had taken down Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic in the quarter and semi-finals and looked exhausted at times during the US Open final.

In straight sets, Cilic eased past Nishikori to win his first Major title, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, lifting the trophy high on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Just a year on from his positive Nikethamide test, he’d ascended to the top of the ATP Tour, cementing his legacy as a Grand Slam champion.

World number one Sinner will hope to repeat Cilic’s feat when he returns to Grand Slam action at the French Open, which begins on May 25.