Roger Federer may be the on-paper favourite against Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, but he knows the Croatian can’t be underestimated. The Swiss star was in a similar position during their 2014 US Open semi-final, but Cilic put in one of the finest performances of his career to dismiss Federer in straight sets. The match was one of the few times where Federer simply didn’t have answers on the court. “It puts all the other great performances against me to shame,” reflected Federer. "I thought he played very well. He was clocking returns and serves at will. He was doing a great job. He was confident and feeling it and seeing it. It was definitely very, very...
Marin Cilic has a keen awareness of the history of the Wimbledon Championships. His former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, made headlines for Croatia by winning Wimbledon in 2001 and Cilic can vividly recall every detail. “Everyone knows where they were when Goran played,” said Cilic. “I was in a tennis summer camp, close to my hometown. We watched like a big group of children. It was a big celebration. I was still a kid, not even 13 years old. I was just enjoying playing tennis.” Cilic is playing well enough to produce similar memories for kids in Croatia. He’s won more grass-court matches than anyone on tour this season, reaching the semi-finals at the Ricoh Open and finishing runner-up at the...
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...
It will be a semi-final full of firsts when seventh seed Marin Cilic and 24th seed Sam Querrey kick off semi-final Friday at The Championships on Centre Court. Both Cilic and Querrey will be playing in their first Wimbledon semi-final. Cilic, who had lost in the quarter-finals the past three years, broke through in a five-set battle against the big-serving left-hander Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, who had advanced past Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, 15-13 in the fifth set. View FedEx ATP Head2Head & vote for who you think will win! [POLL]46378[/POLL] Querrey also had to work for his maiden Wimbledon semi-final, outlasting World No. 1 and two-time champion Andy Murray in five sets in the quarter-finals. Querrey became the first...
The last time Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer met late in the second week of The Championships, Federer could barely be stopped at Wimbledon. The Swiss right-hander was attempting to reach his eighth consecutive final and win his seventh title at the All England Club. But Berdych summoned some of his best tennis and denied Federer those opportunities, hitting the Swiss off the court during their 2010 quarter-final. Now all Berdych needs to do is repeat that performance under similar circumstances when they take Centre Court following Friday's first semi-final. “It's hard to compare... After so many years, I have so much more experience from that time and everything,” Berdych said, looking back at his 2010 win. “Let's see. It's...
