The third-seeded Swiss superstar achieved Wimbledon immortality and moved clear of seven-time titlists William Renshaw and Pete Sampras when he defeated seventh seed Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in the final, watched by a capacity Centre Court crowd of 15,000 spectators.
“It means the world to me to hold this trophy, particularly when I haven’t dropped a set,” said Federer on BBC TV after the match. “It’s magical, I can’t believe it yet. It’s too much, really. It’s disbelief that I can achieve such heights. I wasn’t sure if I’d be in a final again after last year, especially some tough losses in 2014 and 2015. But I kept on believing and dreaming I could get back. If you believe you can go a long way in your life. Here I am with an eighth title, it’s fantastic.”
With Federer’s fifth crown of the year, the Swiss rises to No. 3 - his highest rankings position since August 2016. He also joins Rafael Nadal as the second singles qualifier for the 2017 ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.
In claiming the title in straight sets, Federer became just the second player to reign at Wimbledon without dropping a set in the Open Era, with Bjorn Borg (1976). He also joins Borg and Rafael Nadal as the only men to race through a major tournament on multiple occasions. He previously did so a decade ago at the 2007 Australian Open.
“Winning eight here is very special,” Federer said afterwards. “Wimbledon was and will always be my favourite tournament. My heroes walked the Grounds and the courts here. Because of them, I became a better player, too.
“I was just so happy that I was able to win here again because it's been a long road - tough at times, but that's how it's supposed to be. So to be Wimbledon champion for an entire year now is something I can't wait to savour and just enjoy. It was super special. To make history here at Wimbledon really means a lot to me and truly amazing.”
It was a slow start for Federer on a crisp Sunday afternoon, striking an early double fault on game point and conceding a break chance to Cilic. But the Croatian squandered the opportunity and the Swiss seized the initiative, breaking immediately in the next game after racing to a 0/40 lead. Federer would break again for the opener behind a ruthless returning display, surging to a one-set lead.
An edgy Cilic would continue to succumb to Federer's pressure from the baseline. A backhand wide gave the 35 year old a quick break in the second game of the second set. An emotional Cilic was assessed by tournament doctors on the subsequent changeover and Federer would stay the course, breaking once again for a commanding 5-1 lead.
Cilic did well to make the third set competitive, but the seventh seed could not halt Federer's indomitable momentum. The Basel native would take the decisive break in the seventh game and did not look back, streaking to the title after one hour and 41 minutes. He would secure his eighth Wimbledon crown with his 13th ace of the match. It was a 93rd tour-level title and record 17th on grass for Federer.
Federer extended his dominant ATP Head to Head lead over Cilic to 7-1, defeating the Croatian for the second straight year at Wimbledon. The Swiss saved three match points in that quarter-final encounter at SW19.
“I never gave up throughout my career. I gave my best today and that’s all I could do," said Cilic. "I have had an amazing journey here and have played the best tennis of my life. I’d like to thank my team, they gave me so much strength. To all my fans in Croatia and here, it was really tough today. I gave it my all and I hope to come back here and go one better next time.”
Cilic was appearing in his second major final (2014 US Open). Champion at the 2012 Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club, he was also bidding for a second grass-court crown and 17th in total at the tour-level. The 28 year old was vying to become just the second Croatian player to win the Wimbledon title, joining Goran Ivanisevic (2001).
Date: 16 July 2017, Source: ATP and Wimbledon
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