On a Wimbledon overshadowed by injuries and upsets it was left to the Swiss maestro to restore order at the top of the men's game, giving the champion a real opportunity to end the year as World No.1 for a sixth time. If it wasn't already evident by the standards set by Federer over the course of his 19-year professional career then by surpassing William Renshaw's and Pete Sampras' seven title haul at Wimbledon at the age of 35 should provide naysayers with enough evidence to finally lay claim that Roger Federer is the so-called G.O.A.T.
Federer went through the draw at a canter and is the second player, after Bjorn Borg in 1976, to win the title without even dropping a set. Predicted battles against Djokovic and Nadal never materialised and even players such as Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych who have past Wimbledon wins over Roger failed to live up to expectation when facing the Swiss this time round. In fact, Berdych's three-set loss was probably the most competitive match Federer had to contend with over the fortnight, but it was the final against Marin Cilic that did at least get tennis fans talking during the build-up to the match.
The 2014 US Open champion had a stellar lead-up to Wimbledon this year with a 250 title on clay in Istanbul, a quarter-final showing at the French Open, followed by a runner-up finish on the grass-courts of Queen's Club. Cilic reached the quarter-finals in these Championships without dropping a single set and at this point in the tournament; he was certainly a dangerous proposition for any opponent. But Cilic's passage to the final was a fortuitous one really as many thought he would fall to either Nadal or Murray, the players he was destined to face in the latter rounds. But as the draw took hold it became evident that the Croatian would have to deal with two big serving grass-court specialists instead if he was to make his first Wimbledon final. The two major differences between Cilic and his big serving counter-parts in Gilles Muller and Sam Querrey (his quarter-final and semi-final opponents respectively) is his far superior return game and his quicker footwork around the court. It was abundantly clear that although he did start dropping sets, Cilic was always in complete control over the course of his quarter and semi-final matches.
So there was plenty to be worried about for Federer fans. Cilic was playing with confidence, hitting the ball well, serving with accuracy and returning with venom. He was three match points away from knocking Federer out last year in the quarter-finals when leading by two sets but ultimately losing in five but on Sunday he had every opportunity to cause one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam final history. The Croatian started well and seemed to be putting some early pressure on the Federer serve when the Swiss offered up a couple of double faults. But when Federer held firm in that fourth game, the match completely evaporated from Cilic's racket and when he sat down a set and 0-3 down, the Croatian cut a forlorn figure, in tears, and with medical staff around him. The occasion had overawed Cilic, he admitted it was emotional rather than physical pain that had hindered him during the course of the match and with history on his side, Federer inflicted the final blow of Wimbledon 2017 by sending an ace down the middle to halt Cilic's charge and re-write the history books once again.
I don't think this Wimbledon title will go down as Federer's greatest triumph, but 2017 could go down as one of his finest years. His Australian Open title in February was arguably the toughest title-run of his career and to follow it up by winning in Indian Wells & Miami during March was inspiring. It was disappointing to see him miss the clay-court swing but in hindsight it was the correct decision which has ultimately led him to the Wimbledon title. As the season switches to the American hard-courts it is difficult to look beyond Federer sweeping up the US Open title as well, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Rafa Nadal will have something to say about that. With the No.1 ranking seemingly up for grabs and Murray and Djokovic looking almost certain to miss the majority of the US period, a Rafa v Roger final at Flushing Meadows would be a perfect way to end the Grand Slam season.
Not to discount Marin Cilic's achievements over the last few weeks but it was disappointing for the biggest match of his career to pan out the way it did. He looked so dangerous when he powered through the draw and in the end it all just felt a little anti-climactic. You have to remember that this guy is a US Open champion; he knows what it takes to win the big titles. When he won that US title in 2014 and even as I write this I still firmly believe that Cilic can win at least five Grand Slams. He is only 28, has plenty of time on his side and with Murray and Djokovic looking frail, I think this is a great opportunity for him to start making his mark and at least end the year in the top 4.
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