Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer Becomes First Man to Win Record Eight Title
Roger Federer has become the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles after beating Croatian Marin Cilic.
The 35-year-old Swiss won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as 28-year-old Marin Cilic struggled with a blister on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.
Roger Federer, 35, finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012.
Wimbledon 2012: Roger Federer wins his 17th Grand Slam title after beating Andy Murray
The No 3 becomes the oldest man in the Open Era to win at the All England Club.
Roger Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Martina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.
Image source Wikimedia
The Swiss has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.
With 19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men’s game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24.
Australian Open 2017: Roger Federer Wins His Fifth Title after Beating Rafael Nadal in Final
Among his long list of achievements, Roger Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the Wimbledon title without dropping a set.
The tournament favorite from the outset, he was rarely troubled over the course of seven matches, and Marin Cilic was not in the condition to provide a serious test.
Roger Federer was playing in his 11th Wimbledon final and Marin Cilic his first, and the gap in experience showed from the early stages.
Marin Cilic later revealed that it was emotional rather than physical pain at that stage, but he was clearly in some distress and there was little he could do to stop Roger Federer racing into a two-set lead after just 61 minutes.
A medical time-out was taken before the start of the third set and this time strapping and padding applied to Marin Cilic’s left foot.
A first retirement in a men’s singles final since 1911 appeared likely but Marin Cilic struggled on, while Roger Federer probed for the break that would surely end his wait for a Wimbledon title.
Fourteen years on from his first victory, there were signs of nerves when he served for the title for the first time since 2012.