ROGER FEDERER FLIES TO RECORD 8th WIMBLEDON WIN & 19th SLAM WITHOUT LOSING A SET

Written by: Staff on 16th July 2017

ROGER FEDERER FLIES TO RECORD 8th WIMBLEDON WIN & 19th SLAM WITHOUT LOSING A SET

epa06091383 Roger Federer of Switzerland hoists the championship trophy following his victory over Marin Cilic of Croatia in the men's final of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 16 July 2017. EPA/NIC BOTHMA EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES |

Federer flies to record eighth Wimbledon title without losing a set in entire tournament

By Ricky Dimon

Perfection led to a record on Sunday afternoon at the All-England Club.

Roger Federer won every single set he played during his run through the tournament and captured an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title, capping it off by crushing Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. The Swiss soared through a one-sided final and took advantage of a hobbled opponent to prevail after one hour and 41 minutes.

“I hoped to have a chance maybe one day to be in a Wimbledon finals and have a chance to win the tournament,” Federer reflected. “Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for, in my opinion…. I was just really a normal guy growing up in Basel, hoping to make a career on the tennis tour. I guess I dreamed, I believed, and really hoped that I could actually maybe really do it; to make it real. So I put in a lot of work, and it paid off.”

The 35-year-old made it seem like he was barely working hard from start to finish this fortnight. He got a second-set retirement from Alexandr Dolgopolov in round one and then erased six consecutive foes all in straight sets.

Cilic looked to be the toughest test of the tournament for Federer, and that proved to be the case for a while–well, for all of four games. Leading 2-1 in the opener, the 6’6” Croat got a look at a second serve on break point at 30-40 only to dump a backhand returned into the net. Federer eventually held and that momentum quickly propelled him to a break of his own for 3-2.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion consolidated the advantage to take the first set and promptly raced to a 3-0 lead in the second. That is when it started to fall apart emotionally for Cilic, who was in tears while getting tended to by the trainer and doctor for an apparent problem with foot blisters.

Roger Federer (R) of Switzerland celebrates winning against Marin Cilic (L) of Croatia during the Men’s final match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 16 July 2017. EPA/DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS

“It was just a feeling that I knew that I cannot give my best on the court,” the 2014 U.S. Open winner explained. “That I cannot give my best game and my best tennis, especially at this stage of my career, at such a big match. It was very, very difficult to deal with it. It didn’t hurt so much that it was putting me in tears. It was just that feeling that I wasn’t able to give the best.”

Even his best may not have been good enough. Federer’s scintillating form continued to the tune of 23 winners and only eight unforced errors. Cilic raised his level to something respectable in the third set, but Federer still cruised through it with one break of serve.

The world No. 5 clinched the title with his eighth ace of the match.

“(I) don’t want to put down his victory in any way,” Cilic assured, referring to his physical issues. “I mean, he deserved it completely. These things are part of the sport. Really congratulations to him and his team for everything he did; for another title here.”

Federer, meanwhile, is health personified in the aftermath of a few injury-plagued seasons.

“It’s incredible,” he commented. “I don’t know how much longer it’s going to last. I have no idea. But I just got to always remind myself that health comes first at this point. If I do that, maybe things are actually possible I didn’t think were.”

If 19 slams was thought to be impossible, then impossible is nothing.