Roger Federer cemented his reputation as the greatest player to grace his sport by lifting a record eighth Wimbledon title with a one-sided victory over Marin Cilic, whose thin hopes of an upset were popped by a blister that troubled his movement and tormented his mind.
It was an afternoon of sustained emotions but scant drama. Federer, a great Wimbledon favourite since winning his first title in 2003, raced through the match in one hour and 41 minutes and dropped only eight games in a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 procession.
This victory meant the Swiss master, who turns 36 next month, surpassed the big-serving American “Pistol” Pete Sampras and the Victorian-era great, William Renshaw, who claimed seven. Staggeringly, Federer also became the first man to win Wimbledon without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg in 1976.
“It is very special to win eight titles,” said Federer. “Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament, and will always be my favourite tournament.
“My heroes walked the grounds here. Because of them, I think I became a better player, too.”
“And No8 obviously means a lot to me because to be part of Wimbledon history is truly amazing.”
What made this victory more remarkable still was that the era when Federer’s racket played like a Stradivarius, and the American writer David Foster Wallace compared watching him to a religious experience, had appeared over for good last year. He was approaching his 35th birthday. He had not won a Grand Slam since 2012. And, worse still, he was struggling with a knee injury – sustained whilst running a bath for his twin daughters – which forced him out of the game for five months.
But the thousands walking along Church Road to the All England Club for Sunday’s final understood that the Federer of 2017 was a player miraculously reborn, having won the Australian Open in January and 32 of his 34 matches this year. And so it proved as he dismissed a hobbling Cilic with minimal fuss.
It wasn’t supposed to be that easy given the 6ft 6in Cilic was in the form of his life. Few knew, however, that he had a huge blister on his foot after his semifinal against Sam Querrey. It meant that every time he made a sudden movement it felt like an electric shock up his leg. Understandably it screwed up his mind – and his groundstrokes. “I tried to block my thoughts,” said the Croatian. “I tried to block the pain. But even in the warm-up, I was testing my movement going side to side and I was too slow.”
Guardian Sports