World No.14 Marin Cilic says he’s ready for his title defence as the 15th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open tournament kicks off today.

By Bhagya L Ayyavoo

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. And like all defending champions, Marin Cilic denies he is on the hot seat as the Aircel Chennai Open aces off today, "No pressure at all even though I am coming here as the defending champion for the first time. It feels good. I came here early and practiced well following my routine as in any other tournament. The conditions so far are good, the heat and the humidity and I think I will be ready."

Action at Aircel Chennai Open in images

Familiarity is the best preparation for India's only ATP tournament. And popularity with the home crowd makes it easier for players. Cilic, quite a known face after he bettered his semi-final run at the 2008 edition by winning the event the following year, knows that.

Despite ending local boy Somdev Devvarman's fairytale run in the final, Croatia's top seed has certainly won many hearts in Chennai, "I played good tennis in 2008 and 2009 as well. The crowd is always good. Last year, they supported Somdev really well. It's always nice to see that the home players are the stars. I enjoyed the atmosphere here."

As the second seed, the 21-year-old Croat is certainly the best bet to advance ahead undisturbed as he has a favourable draw. Only fourth-seeded Janko and sixth-seeded Simon Greul are likely to hinder his easy progress. But Cilic expects some early surprises, "It's always difficult to begin the year with. As we have seen here, in the past years, there have always been some upsets. We saw Somdev in the final last year. We have to be very careful about that. In my case, I start against (Igor) Kunitsyn who is very good. So, I have to play match by match."

For Cilic, the world No.14, it is his first meeting with the Russian. The Croat keeps it simple when he says, "I have to rely on my serve and baseline shots. But, my all-round game is pretty strong, when I'm doing those things - serve, return and points from the baseline, I am very dangerous."

However, he is cautious at the same time, "But in some cases, I am dropping my level a little bit and that needs to get better."

With giant-killer and tournament top seed Robin Soderling making his debut, India's biggest tennis event is getting tougher and tougher by the year. Cilic has to be on his toes over the next seven days if he is to keep possession of his prized trophy.