Roger Federer claims historic eighth Wimbledon title after straight sets win over emotional Marin Cilic.
Federer Demolishes Cilic to Win His 19th Grand Slam and Eighth Wimbledon
Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles with victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic.
The Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with blisters on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.
Federer, 35, finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012.
He becomes the oldest man in the Open Era to win the Wimbledon title.
Five years after his last Wimbledon triumph, Roger Federer can capture a record eighth All England Club title Sunday and become the tournament's oldest men's champion of the modern era.
With his 36th birthday fast approaching, the evergreen Swiss will comfortably succeed Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1975, as Wimbledon's most senior champion.
Victory over Croatian giant Marin Cilic will also give him a 19th career Grand Slam title and second in three majors this year after sweeping to a fifth Australian Open in January following a six-month absence.
"I was hoping to be in good shape when the grass court season came around," said Federer who, for good measure, also pocketed back-to-back Masters at Indian Wells and Miami as well as a ninth Halle grass court crown.
"The first three, four months were just like a dream really. So this is something I was working towards, you know, Wimbledon, to be in good shape. I'm happy it's paying off here now."
When Cilic won his only Slam in New York three years ago, he demolished Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals.
"I don't want to say it's more relaxed going into it because I have a good head-to-head record against Marin, even though the matches were extremely close," said Federer.
"But it's not like we've played against each other 30 times. You feel like you have to reinvent the wheel.
"It's more straightforward, in my opinion. I think that's nice in some ways. It's a nice change, but it doesn't make things easier."
Cilic is only the second Croatian man to reach the Wimbledon final after Goran Ivanisevic, his former coach, who swept to a memorable title victory in 2001.
A win on Sunday would also make him the first Wimbledon champion outside of Federer, Murray, Djokovic and Nadal since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in 2002.
However, he has only won one of his last 12 matches against a top five player at the Slams, even if that was over Federer in New York three years ago.
Cilic has fired 130 aces at Wimbledon this year and dropped just 10 service games.
With his 36th birthday fast approaching, the evergreen Swiss will comfortably succeed Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1975, as Wimbledon's most senior champion.
Victory over Croatian giant Marin Cilic will also give him a 19th career Grand Slam title and second in three majors this year after sweeping to a fifth Australian Open in January following a six-month absence.
"I was hoping to be in good shape when the grass court season came around," said Federer who, for good measure, also pocketed back-to-back Masters at Indian Wells and Miami as well as a ninth Halle grass court crown.
"The first three, four months were just like a dream really. So this is something I was working towards, you know, Wimbledon, to be in good shape. I'm happy it's paying off here now."
When Cilic won his only Slam in New York three years ago, he demolished Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals.
"I don't want to say it's more relaxed going into it because I have a good head-to-head record against Marin, even though the matches were extremely close," said Federer.
"But it's not like we've played against each other 30 times. You feel like you have to reinvent the wheel.
"It's more straightforward, in my opinion. I think that's nice in some ways. It's a nice change, but it doesn't make things easier."
Cilic is only the second Croatian man to reach the Wimbledon final after Goran Ivanisevic, his former coach, who swept to a memorable title victory in 2001.
A win on Sunday would also make him the first Wimbledon champion outside of Federer, Murray, Djokovic and Nadal since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in 2002.
However, he has only won one of his last 12 matches against a top five player at the Slams, even if that was over Federer in New York three years ago.
Cilic has fired 130 aces at Wimbledon this year and dropped just 10 service games.
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