Roger Federer wins record 20th grand slam in Australia
The ageless Roger Federer truly is the greatest male tennis player of all time, something he affirmed on Sunday with his five-set victory over Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.
Roger Federer stepped up to the podium to accept the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup for the sixth time and was overcome with emotion.
“It’s incredible,” Federer said, tearing up, but found a way to compose himself to thank his opponent, his own team, and the staff of the tournament. But then he got to the fans at the end of the speech, and it was too much. The man who has given so much to tennis, has always been revered right back. And the tennis legend knows that the adulation and time on the greatest stages in the sport won’t last forever.
“I have to stop,” he said when he became overcome thanking the fans. Federer’s dad was crying in the audience. The great Rod Laver was taking selfies to commemorate the moment. Marin Cilic– who will rise to a career high ranking of No. 3– who lost to him in a second grand slam final, talked with him while Federer composed himself to take the victory lap.
The match
Of the last five grand slam finals, Federer has now won three of them since his astonishing comeback from injury. He beat Cilic in his last grand slam final, at Wimbledon, with a far different feel to the match. This time the Croat put up quite a fight.
Federer walked out to the Rod Laver Arena, looking very much in control in the first set, breaking early and setting the tone with a commanding 4-0 lead. But Cilic still found a way to up his game in the second set, winning a decisive tie-break.
The match went back and forth, with Federer taking advantage of a distracted Cilic in the third, but just when it looked like the Swiss would walk away with the title in the fourth, he dropped serve and the 29-year-old Cilic bounced back, running Fed all over the court. Federer seemed upset over not being able to close out the match in the fourth, but dug deep to fight for the fifth. He broke Cilic early and fought like a man on a mission until the end, hitting a beautiful shot that just clipped the line.
Just like his five setter last year with Rafael Nadal, he had to wait for Hawkeye to confirm that the shot was good. It was.
The records
Rod Laver took photos on his phone from the audience when Roger Federer accepted his trophy. Laver, along with Ken Rosewall, are the only others to win four or more grand slams in their 30’s. Now Federer—with his fourth grand slam in his 30s—joins them. Rosewall is the oldest grand slam winner, at one year older than Federer. With the way Federer is going, there’s a very good chance he will equal that record as well. The timeless man turns 37 in August.
Federer holds six AO titles, a record he now shares with Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson. Surprisingly, AO has been the kindest to Federer. Of the seven finals he’s made, he’s won all but one. Federer now holds the records for most titles in the Open Era at Australian and the U.S. Opens. He owns the Wimbledon record outright with eight.
Roger Federer has achieved the most grand slams for a male. He is also the fourth in overall slams behind Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), and Steffi Graf (22).
Staggeringly, Federer has won 10 percent of all men’s grand slams in the Open Era. Let that sit in.
He has achieved 96 ATP career titles, second only behind Jimmy Connors’ 109.
The Australian Open final was the record 30th final appearance for the Swiss. He still stands as the only man to reach all four grand slams in the same season, which he did three times (2006-07, 2009). He has won 332 grand slam matches. He holds the highest hard court winning percentage at 87.6 percent. He is the only male player to own five or more titles in three grand slams. Although he is the world No. 2 still, he owns the record for most weeks at No. 1 (302) as well as most consecutive weeks (237).
Simply the best
If Nadal fails to make the semifinals in Acapulco, where he’s defending his ATP points, Federer could return to No. 1 in a few months, and set the record for the oldest at the top spot.
“He’s proved yet again he’s too good for the rest of the world,” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller.
At this juncture, it’s impossible to deny.