Roger Federer on verge of Wimbledon immortality
Five years after his last Wimbledon triumph, Roger Federer can capture a record eighth All England Club title Sunday and become the tournament's oldest men's champion of the modern era.With his 36th birthday fast approaching, the evergreen Swiss will comfortably succeed Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1975, as Wimbledon's most senior champion.
Victory over Croatian giant Marin Cilic will also give him a 19th career Grand Slam title and second in three majors this year after sweeping to a fifth Australian Open in January following a six-month absence.
Cilic, the lean and sinewy 6-foot-6 power server is the last man standing between Wimbledon No. 3 seed Federer and an Open era record eighth Wimbledon title.
If you haven't been following too closely, you might be tempted to cede the title to Federer now that his Big Four peers -- Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal -- have been driven from the utopian confines of the All England Club. The august quartet has won the past 14 singles titles contested at Wimbledon.
But the reality is that Cilic has stayed atop Federer to the buzzer in one Grand Slam encounter, and he wasn't bucked off until the absolute final moment in another. Those are the past two matches the men have played, so you can throw that 6-1 series lead Federer enjoys right out the window. This Croatian cowboy has clung to Federer like a bad memory.
Cilic's lone win over Federer was a resonant one. His Bunyan-esque serve won the battle against the Swiss icon's generally effective return in a high-visibility US Open semifinal in 2014. It's a theme that might resurface on Sunday. Then just last year in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Cilic held three match points before Federer gored him.
"I was hoping to be in good shape when the grass court season came around," said Federer who, for good measure, also pocketed back-to-back Masters at Indian Wells and Miami as well as a ninth Halle grass court crown.
"The first three, four months were just like a dream really. So this is something I was working towards, you know, Wimbledon, to be in good shape. I'm happy it's paying off here now."
Federer admits his form in 2017 has surprised even himself after he shut down his 2016 season to rest a knee injury in the aftermath of his brutal five-set semi-final loss at Wimbledon to Milos Raonic.
He has 30 wins and just two losses this year and he has reached his 11th Wimbledon final without dropping a set.
Sunday's match will be his 102nd at the tournament and his 29th final at the majors.
"It makes me really happy, making history here at Wimbledon. It's a big deal. I love this tournament," said Federer, who has been tied with Pete Sampras on seven Wimbledon titles since beating Andy Murray in the 2012 final.
"All my dreams came true here as a player. To have another chance to go for number eight now, be kind of so close now at this stage, is a great feeling.
"Yeah, unbelievably excited. I hope I can play one more good match. 11 finals here, all these records, it's great. I'm so close now."
While 'Big Four' rivals Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal failed to even make the semi-finals, Federer has been reborn.
He came into Wimbledon having radically pruned his playing schedule, skipping the entire clay court season.
When the 2017 season began, few would have foreseen Roger Federer standing on the doorstep of a second Grand Slam crown and tour-leading fifth title of the year. As Federer continues to etch his name in the history books, the Swiss isn’t just sending a loud and resounding message to the rest of the ATP World Tour, but making the case for one of the greatest seasons of all time.
On Sunday, Federer will look to solidify his standing as the most successful man to ever grace the lawns of the All England Club, when he bids for a record eighth title at The Championships. He carries a 30-2 win-loss mark in 2017 into the final, which will be a record-tying 102nd Wimbledon match (w/Jimmy Connors). Having not dropped a set all fortnight, the 35 year old is not merely turning back the clock with his ruthless run to the final, but proving that he is more dominant than ever.
Employing the same aggressive and authoritative gameplan that saw him lift his 18th major trophy at the Australian Open, seal the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, and notch a staggering ninth Gerry Weber Open title, Federer enters the final having dropped just four service games. But another triumph at SW19 won’t be a simple task for the Swiss maestro, with Marin Cilic the last remaining obstacle to Wimbledon immortality.
"I don't want to say it's more relaxed going into it because I have a good head-to-head record against Marin, even though the matches were extremely close," Federer said. "But it's not like we've played against each other 30 times."
Wimbledon is just his seventh event of the year; 28-year-old Cilic is in his 15th.
Federer, revelling in the spotlight of having played all his matches on Centre Court, has hardly been troubled on his way to the final.
He has lost serve just four times and spent four and a half hours less on court than Cilic.
Federer also boasts a 6-1 career record over Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion who has made his first Wimbledon final at the 11th attempt.
However, Cilic's game is made for grass and 12 months ago he led Federer by two sets to love and held three match points in an epic quarter-final which the Swiss superstar eventually claimed.
When Cilic won his only Slam in New York three years ago, he demolished Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals.
"I don't want to say it's more relaxed going into it because I have a good head-to-head record against Marin, even though the matches were extremely close," said Federer.
"But it's not like we've played against each other 30 times. You feel like you have to reinvent the wheel.
"It's more straightforward, in my opinion. I think that's nice in some ways. It's a nice change, but it doesn't make things easier."
Cilic is only the second Croatian man to reach the Wimbledon final after Goran Ivanisevic, his former coach, who swept to a memorable title victory in 2001.
A win on Sunday would also make him the first Wimbledon champion outside of Federer, Murray, Djokovic and Nadal since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in 2002.
