Roger Federer added another chapter to his phenomenal career on Sunday when the Swiss superstar captured his 20th Grand Slam championship crown to retain his Australian Open title with a thrilling 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic in the night-time final.
Twelve months on from beating Rafael Nadal in a pulsating five-set final, the 36-year-old once again drew upon his great skill and ingenuity to build upon his legacy as the greatest player in tennis history by winning a record-equalling sixth Australian Open crown (with Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic), coming through a draw that respected observers thought would be problematic.
The victory, won over three hours and four minutes, in his 30th major championship final, ensures that Federer is now just 155 points behind World No. 1 Nadal in the ATP Rankings. With Nadal not expected to compete until the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in late February, Federer would have the chance to add to his 302 weeks at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis. He was last No. 1 on 4 November 2012.
At 36 years, 173 days, Federer has become the third man in the Open Era (since April 1968) to win four of more Grand Slam championship trophies after turning 30, following in the footsteps of all-time great Australians Rod Laver (1969 Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open) and Ken Rosewall (1968 Roland Garros, 1970 US Open, 1971-72 Australian Opens).
Read: How The 2018 Final Was Won - Set-by-Set Analysis
Under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, due to the extreme heat, the perfect conditions favoured Federer, whose majestic stroke-play – a throw-back to a bygone era – ensured that the second seed raced out to a 4-0 lead. Having lost just two of his first-service points in the first set, Federer’s momentum stalled when Cilic’s serve and forehand potency began to reap dividends. Although Cilic dumped a backhand into the net on set point at 5-4, with Federer serving at 30/40, the Croatian regrouped and played decisively in the tie-break, finishing with a composed smash winner.
Federer held his ground, waited for his next opportunity and when it came, at 3-2 in the third set, capitalised on a forehand error from Cilic – letting out a scream of “Come On!”. Federer won five of the next six games and in breaking Cilic’s serve in the first game of the fourth set, the Swiss player’s grip tightened on a 20th major trophy (20-10 record).
With a Croatian flag fluttering barely four metres from the support team of Federer, Cilic gained inspiration and in a dramatic turnaround from a 1-3 deficit, the Croatian broke twice and clinched the set courtesy of rediscovering his serve and winning the longer rallies. Federer ended a run of five straight games for Cilic by winning the first game of the decider, not before saving two break points.
Federer didn’t blink and seized his chance to take a 3-0 lead. Although Cilic, 27-13 in fifth sets, continued to fight, with the trophy in sight and another historic chapter in his glorious career almost finished, Federer didn’t let down his guard. He broke once more for a 5-1 lead when Cilic hit a forehand approach into the net. At the end, Federer had a look of a player unaware of his achievement: 20 Grand Slam crowns.
More to follow...
from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://ift.tt/2nhfQc9
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