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Switzerland's
Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Croatia's Marin Cilic to win the Men's
Singles final match on day thirteen at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in
London Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
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Roger Federer became the
first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam
titles with victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic.
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Switzerland's
Roger Federer kisses the trophy after defeating Croatia's Marin Cilic to win
the Men's Singles final match on day thirteen at the Wimbledon Tennis
Championships in London Sunday, July 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
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The
Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with blisters
on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.
Federer,
35, finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first
Wimbledon title since 2012.
He
becomes the oldest man in the Open Era to win at the All England Club.
"It
is cruel sometimes," Federer said of Cilic's physical difficulties.
"But
Marin fought well and is a hero, so congratulations on a wonderful
tournament."
Federer
surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in
2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Marina Navratilova still ahead in terms
of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.
He
has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned
from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.
With
19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men's game to
four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody,
five behind Margaret Court on 24.
'I never give up in a
match'
Among
his long list of achievements, Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in
1976 to win the Wimbledon title without dropping a set.
The
tournament favourite from the outset, he was rarely troubled over the course of
seven matches, and Cilic was not in the condition to provide a serious test.
"I
never give up in a match. I gave it my best - it's all I can do," Cilic
said afterwards.
Federer
was playing in his 11th Wimbledon final and Cilic his first, and the gap in
experience showed from the early stages.
Cilic,
28, hit a forehand which bounced before the net on the opening point as the
nerves appeared hard to shake off.
Federer
offered up a couple of early double faults but there was a sense of
inevitability about the first break, which came in game five after Cilic fell
heavily chasing down a drop shot, and then sent a backhand into the net.
A
beautiful cross-court forehand helped Federer towards set point in game nine
and Cilic duly double-faulted, ending the set with a 49% first-serve percentage
that hardly troubled the Swiss.
After
Federer made it 3-0 in the second set, a tearful Cilic sat in his chair as the
doctor, tournament referee and supervisor attended to him.
'It's a wonderful moment
for the family'
Whether
it was physical or emotional pain at this stage, the Croat was clearly in some
distress and there was little he could do to stop Federer racing into a two-set
lead after just 61 minutes.
A
medical time-out was taken before the start of the third set and this time
strapping and padding applied to Cilic's left foot.
A
first retirement in a men's singles final since 1911 appeared likely but Cilic
struggled on, while Federer probed for the break that would surely end his wait
for a Wimbledon title.
It
came at 3-3, when Cilic netted a backhand and successive forehands, and only
the dark clouds above Centre Court appeared capable of delaying Federer's
coronation.
There
were signs of nerves from Federer when he served for the title for the first
time since 2012.
'I
should take more time off' - Federer jokes after win
A
first championship point disappeared with a wayward forehand, but an ace down
the middle followed and it was the celebrating Swiss who was now tearful as he
looked to his team and family, including wife Mirka and four children, in the
stands.
"I
think the younger twins think this is a nice view and a nice playground -
hopefully one day they'll understand," added Federer.
"They
come for the finals. It's a wonderful moment for the family and my team.
"This
one is for us. Thank you to Wimbledon, thank you Switzerland."
'I
never give up' - Cilic's post-match interview
Analysis
Boris Becker, three-time Wimbledon champion: "We can't emphasize
enough all the records Federer has broken, and with tough competition.
"Everybody
is younger than him and he finds the way to win easily, and do it consistently
on every surface, apart from clay. It's just impossible to fathom. You think,
where is he going to go now? Will it be 20 Grand Slams at the US Open?"
Tim Henman, four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist: "Because
Federer makes it look so easy and the technique is effortless, people take for
granted the training that he does. He's meticulous and at the age of 35 he
knows what works for him.
"I've
seen him in the locker room doing all the exercises for his lower back, which
he can struggle with. He can struggle with his shoulder as well. I think
fundamentally he loves what he does. This is his hobby, not his job. If it
stays that way, there's no reason why he can't keep playing."
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