Centre Court witnessed another act of beautiful predation today, Roger Federer dismantling Marin Cilic in 1hr 40min to become the first man to capture the singles title without dropping a set since Bjorn Borg in 1976. He now has 19 grand slam titles, a statistic that seemed inconceivable during a five-year drought when the Swiss’s artistic interpretation of the game seemed to have become increasingly obsolete in a sport characterised by power, muscle and stamina.
But Federer is a player of belief as much as of beauty, and he continued to refashion his game during lonely weeks of practice, the better to tame the evolution of modern tennis. His backhand is more powerful, his slice, a stroke that he used to considerable effect throughout today’s match, is faster and his movements seem even more fluent, a ballet dancer with a racquet and bandana. It is possible that he is playing better today, at 35 years and 342 days, than at any time in his career.
There was a rally in the seventh game of the first set that captured much about Federer’s mystique. It was a drop shot, played from behind the baseline, the racket taken back as if he were planning to play an ordinary slice. But at the point of execution, the ball seemed to pause on his strings, the laws of nature momentarily suspended, before describing a high arc, dropping inches into his opponent’s side of the net, and dying. Cilic’s jaw dropped, as much in shock of the audacity of Federer’s imagination as the beauty of its execution. It was a psychological blow, a statement of genius, that had a sustained impact on the self-belief of the Croatian.
Cilic had been very much in the match, holding his first two service games, finding a break point in the fourth game, but not quite capitalising, and playing a series of strong baseline points which seemed to settle his nerves in his first Wimbledon final. But as Federer began to express himself, the narrative decisively turned, the Swiss breaking serve in the fifth game, and the crowd responding with an ovation. He broke again following a double fault from Cilic to take the opening set 6-3 and, even by that point, there was a sense of inevitability.
Federer’s beauty emerges incidentally from his ruthless ability to exploit the weaknesses of his opponent. His use of the backhand slice yesterday, particularly in the second set, was masterly, aware of the flatness of the Cilic backhand, forcing him to bend his knees, to play from below the height of the net. The Federer serve was also emphatic, finding aces whenever in trouble, seeking the lines with his second serve. He had only dropped four service games coming into the final, indicating that this shot, too, has been overhauled and improved by the Swiss. He was barely threatened throughout the match.
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By the third set, the major issue for Cilic was sustaining any semblance of meaningful hope. He had taken a medical timeout after losing the second set 6-1, revealing blisters to his left foot, an injury that predated the match, and appeared to be in tears midway through the second set as he was attended courtside by a doctor and physio. The crowd responded when the Croatian began the third set, saluting his courage and willingness to keep going. They were also doubtless keen to witness yet more artistry from Federer, to savour the rekindling of his genius in these twilight years.
After Federer broke in the seventh game of the third set, the presentation party began to congregate behind the court, and minds started to turn to the legacy of an athlete who had already taken his place in the pantheon alongside Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, and Jack Nicklaus. This was Federer’s 102nd match at Wimbledon, equalling the open era record of Jimmy Connors. He is the first man to win nine men’s singles at Wimbledon, has now played at the competition on 19 successive occasions, and is the only man to have reached 11 finals in the same event. His victory in Australia early this year had already made him the oldest winner of a grand slam singles title since Ken Rosewall in 1974.
Federer was characteristically classy in his post-match interview, saluting his opponent and the enthusiasm of the crowd. His twins were sitting on the balcony of the player’s box, and he acknowledged that he had taken inspiration from his family. But this was about the man himself, his belief and his superlative talent.
Another Wimbledon title, five years after his last, to go with his victory in Australia. What next? One can only wonder the extent to which this remarkable player and human being will redefine the parameters of sport.
