Roger Federer won a record eighth title at The Championships, Wimbledon on Sunday, when he claimed his 19th Grand Slam championship trophy – now four clear of second-placed Rafael Nadal (15) in the all-time major titles list. The third-seeded Swiss superstar moved clear of seven-time Wimbledon 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. Federer is 9-0 this year against players in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. 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...
Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo continued their doubles dominance in 2017, capturing a thrilling final at Wimbledon on Saturday. The Polish-Brazilian duo prevailed 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(2), 6-3, 13-11 over Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, needing four hours and 40 minutes to claim their first Grand Slam title as a team. “Everybody knows how much I want to win this tournament. The year I won Roland Garros, I said my focus was to win here,” said Melo. “Wimbledon is Wimbledon, the tournament I dreamed about since I was young. I did all the preparations to play my best here. I'm really glad to be able to do it. “I said to Lukasz before the match that I did everything in my...
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...
