Federer wins 8th Wimbledon trophy, 19th Grand Slam after beating Marin Cilic Sunday

BY Libyan Express Jul 17, 2017 - 14:29

Switzerland’s Roger Federer celebrates with the Wimbledon trophy after winning the men’s singles final against Croatia’s Marin Cilic on Sunday.(Reuters)

After Roger Federer closed out a Wimbledon final that was more of a coronation than a contest with an ace, he sat in his changeover chair and wiped away tears.

That is when it hit him: His wait for a record-breaking title number eight was over. Until then, Federer was not focused on the notion of winning the grass-court tournament more often than any other man in the history of an event first held in 1877.

All he had been concerned with, consumed with, was being healthy enough to compete at a high level and — he hoped — to win a title, regardless of what the total count would be.

Capping a marvellous fortnight in which he never dropped a set, Federer won his eighth Wimbledon trophy and 19th Grand Slam championship overall by overwhelming Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in just one hour, 41 minutes on Sunday.

“Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament. [It] will always be my favourite tournament,” said Federer, who will turn 36 next month and is the oldest male champion at the All England Club in the Open era, which began in 1968.

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