Roger Federer scaled new heights of greatness at Wimbledon when he duly collected a record breaking win to put him further ahead of other legends, living and dead.
The 35 year-old Swiss took an eighth All England Club title by hammering a troubled Marin Cilic with ruthless ease, winning 6-3 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 41 minutes.
It was his nineteenth Grand Slam victory and in achieving it he became the first player to win the title without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg in 1976.
Cilic began brightly, but by the middle of the second set he was sobbing into his towel at the changeover. It was not immediately clear if that was due to emotional distress or a blistered foot or both.
Either way, he ultimately had no answer to the rasping groundstroke of Federer or a serve that functioned beautifully, pinging in more than seven out of ten first serves.
Ultimately it was a disappointing final, purely in terms of a contest, but those present would be consoled by knowing that they will not see the like of Federer again. Incredibly, having packed in his 2016 season after knee problems post-Wimbledon he now holds both the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.
Before a crowd dripping with public figures, from Nigel Farage to Antonio Conte, it had been such a promising start for Cilic, bristling with positive language and with Federer looking the less settled. He forced a break point a 2-2, returning long, but then as we have seen so often in this tournament, there was an adverse reaction to it.
With the Swiss getting more loop onto his forehand to cut the mistakes, he got the best of a brilliant exchange at the net on the second point of the next game that ended with a deft flick over the net with his opponent lying on the ground.
The roar nearly took the Centre Court roof off, which seemed to compound Cilic’s earlier disappointment. He must have felt very friendless. Federer missed two of the first three break points and then converted when Cilic stuck a backhand in the net.
That visibly settled Federer and held safely until a second break at 5-3, which sealed the first set on 36 minutes when Cilic put a backhand wide.
THE NATION
