Roger Federer won his eighth title at Wimbledon

Sport 16 July, 2017

Photo: Glyn Kirk Agence France-Presse
Switzerland’s Roger Federer

London — Switzerland’s Roger Federer has turned a new page in the history of tennis male and has solidified his place by winning the final of the International tennis from Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon.

In his 11th appearance in his career in the final on the prestigious lawns of the All England Club, Federer has defeated Croatian Marin Cilic in three sets of 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, in 1 hour 41 minutes. The indestructible swiss has put an end to the duel with an ace, his eighth of the day, in its second match ball.

Federer became the first player in history to win the men’s singles at Wimbledon on eight occasions. Until Sunday, he shared the record with the American Pete Sampras and Briton William Renshaw, who played in the 1880s at a time when the champion of the previous year only had to play one match to defend his title.

The last victory of Federer at the All England Club was in 2012, against Andy Murray, and he had suffered two defeats in the final, in 2014 and 2015, against the Serbian Novak Djokovic.

He also collected his 19th triumph in the final of a Grand Slam tournament, away again from its biggest rival, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who had 15 after his victory at the Internationaux de France there are a little over a month.

Federer had beaten Nadal in the final of the Australian open in January, but had decided to make dead end at Roland Garros.

Federer has won without losing a single round during the two weeks of the tournament, a feat he had also accomplished at the Australian open of 2007. At Wimbledon, the Swedish Bjorn Borg was the last player to accomplish such a feat, in 1976.

Against Cilic, who has appeared bored by an injury to the left foot, Federer has signed a seventh win in eight matchups, and a second in as many years at Wimbledon. Last year, in the quarterfinals, he defeated the Croatian after having conceded the first two rounds.

The only victory of Cilic against Federer, dating back to the semi-finals of the International of the United States, in 2014, en route to his only conquest of a Grand Slam tournament.