For the second time in the span of three Grand Slams, Roger Federer and Marin Cilic will be squaring off in a final when they take the court one more time at the 2018 Australian Open on Sunday night.
Federer and Cilic faced each other in last summer’s Wimbledon title match, in which the Swiss sailed to a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 victory to complete a perfect run at the All-England Club during which he did not drop a single set. Cilic managed to take a set at the Nitto ATP Finals a few months later, but Federer still recovered for a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 win and improved to 8-1 lifetime in the head-to-head series (5-1 on hard courts). Cilic famously earned his lone upset in this matchup with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 romp in the 2014 U.S. Open semifinals on the way to his first and so far only major winner’s trophy.
The similarities are striking between this Australian Open and the 2017 Wimbledon event, and not just because it is all coming down to Federer vs. Cilic. Once again, Federer has coasted into a slam final without the loss of even one set. Cilic, on the other hand, has again battled through several three-hour affairs to keep his hopes alive for a second Grand Slam triumph. Injuries plagued the All-England Club festivities, with Novak Djokovic retiring in the quarterfinals, Andy Murray barely managing to complete his quarterfinal loss, Stan Wawrinka not playing again the rest of the season following his departure from London, and even Cilic bogged down by blisters in the final. In Melbourne, Rafael Nadal retired from his quarterfinal clash against Cilic and both semifinals were marred by physical problems.
This fortnight should end in far more entertaining fashion than Wimbledon last summer, when the title match was a snooze-fest.
After all, Cilic is showcasing something similar to the form that took the rest of the field by storm four years ago in New York. The sixth-ranked Croat, who will climb to a career-high No. 3 on Monday, has advanced with victories over Vasek Pospisil, Joao Sousa, Ryan Harrison, Pablo Carreno Busta, Nadal (via fifth-set retirement), and Kyle Edmund.
“I’m feeling really, really good physically, even though I had few matches that went more than three hours,” Cilic commented. “I think I played great tournament so far with my level of tennis. I think I improved it [compared] to end of the last year. I’m playing much, much more aggressive. I’m feeling that I am, for most of the shots, hitting them really, really good. From the return, moving, forehand, backhand, serving, I think everything is in (a) good, solid spot. (I’m) feeling really excited about the final.”
Nobody has been as good or as dominant as Federer. The 36-year-old has basically waltzed past Aljaz Bedene, Jan-Lennard Struff, Richard Gasquet, Marton Fucsovics, Tomas Berdych, and Hyeon Chung (via second-set retirement). Struff, Fucsovics, and Berdych pushed him to one tiebreaker apiece, with Berdych even leading 5-2 in the first set before Federer quickly restored order.
“I think I’ve done everything pretty well,” the second seed assessed. “I’m just pleased that actually my game has been good from the very beginning of the tournament. I mean, I’ve won all my matches without dropping a set. Clearly I was a bit lucky against Berdych in that first set, but things must be all right if I’m in this stage right now not having dropped a set and in the finals.”
But Federer is well aware that things are going swimmingly for Cilic, too.
“I definitely think him winning the U.S. Open gave [him] great belief,” Federer said. “If the big moments come about, that [players like Cilic and Stan Wawrinka] can attain this level–not easily, but they can get there from time to time. I think he played great against Rafa. I think the belief and the way he played very positive made him win that match because he didn’t look good there for a while when he was down a set and a break and everything.
“So I like his attitude; he’s very professional. He’s always very much the same regardless of whether he wins or loses. I like that attitude. On the court, he’s a winner. You can see it on the way he behaves on the court. He’s there to win and not just to be there. Sometimes you see other players you feel like they’re happy to have made the quarters so far. I think he strives for more.”
Cilic should be able to do more on Sunday than he did at Wimbledon, and not just because he appears to be 100 percent from a health standpoint. He is playing better than he did during his run in SW19 and a medium-paced hard court is arguably more conducive to his game than grass, as the ball bounces higher into his strike zone and he has more time to set up his huge groundstrokes.
Federer will likely be tested for the first time this fortnight, but experience, freshness, and just about every other factor favor the 19-time major champion.
Pick: Federer in 4
[polldaddy poll=9926507]
who ya got?
hoping Fed wins, but i think Marin will beat him in 4.
how?
To the airport.
#RememberHerbert
One of ur best comments yet hawks 😂
I don’t care who wins, as long as it’s in 5 sets or at least 4 tight ones. Something like that 2001 Sampras/Agassi USO QF, where there was (I believe?) 4 tiebreaks, and all 4 were crazy…
From your lips…and, please, please, don’t anyone get hurt! Tennis matches are beginning to look like episodes from ER. 🙁
Cilic in 4. Weather is meant to be hot so that will help Cilic
they’ll probs close the roof in that case!
Or close it if Cilic somehow wins the first set.
#RememberWimbledon2012Final
Did it not rain after they closed it? And if I recall correctly, it was a few games into the 3rd set that they closed the roof.
Also left it closed long after the rain stopped.
‘‘Twas just a shower. Should have just had a short delay after it started.
“Cilic should be able to do more on Sunday than he did at Wimbledon”
I doubt it (unless you are referring to tear production).
“I think I’ve done everything pretty well,” the second seed assessed.
Lemme see. Cushy Draw? Check. Night matches? Check. Yes, I’d have to agree.
“This fortnight should end in far more entertaining fashion than Wimbledon last summer, when the title match was a snooze-fest.”
Perhaps. But only if you think a bore-fest is far more entertaining than a snooze-fest. Don’t you? Or do you.
Thank you, thank you very much! I’m here ’til Sunday. Try the veal!
Sorry hawks but you sort of come off as an unnecessarily salty Rafan when you constantly bring up Fed getting night matches and such. You are basically going out of your way to constantly discredit his success. You do know Rafa should be getting time violations on several of the points he plays, right? And before games when he takes time to set his water bottles down in that certain order he always has them in. Fed isn’t the only guy who gets preferential treatment.
Yes Benny I’m all too aware of Rafas OCD.
Do you think OCD is a legitimate reason to give a player an exemption from a rule in professional tennis?
No “sort of” about it, Benny. It’s called sour grapes.
Of course Rafa gets favourable treatment. And other players on tour complain more about Rafa’s constant time violations than they do about Fed’s night matches.
Fed played a day match, and he had a more difficult draw on paper (at the outset) than did Nadal.
Ricky. NNY. Benny. Anyone else here with a shred of decency:
Are you going to continue to let Hawkeye slander people with impunity? He clearly and repeatedly violates site rules.
Let’s hear from others who want Hawkeye to either stop this behavior or else be banned from the site.
I’m sure lots of others agree with me, and Ricky will act if enough of us speak up.
link?
Are you asking for a link to Hawkeye’s offensive behaviour? He just called me (12:17am) a “homophobe defender,” which is just gratuitous slander.
Hawkeye frequently and gratuitously calls people racist and homophobic, either directly or in a hashtag, outside the non-tennis forum.
It makes the site much less pleasant for everyone.
Lol, cilic in 4? Haha nice joke guys 🙂
GOAT in 3.
Not possible. He lost to Cilic.
Hawks what are you talking about? Didn’t Herbert lose to Istomin?
Not sure what Hawks is talking about, not unusally
If Fed serves like he did today he’ll lose
Bahahhaa ok Oliver. Have u even picked Fed in any match yet? 😂
Fed in 6
I watched the highlights of the 2014 Fed-Cilic USO match yesterday. Two related aspects of Fed’s play stood out. He wasn’t playing that close to the baseline, and he was hitting his shots with a fair amount of topspin.
Both of those things are likely to be different tomorrow. Roger is basically playing at the baseline, and he’s not giving his opponents any time. He will tolerate his higher unforced error count, as well as Cilic hitting some winners by him, as long as it allows Fed to dictate play and create UE from Cilic.
I expect Fed to serve better than he did against Chung, and create more break points than Cilic does. I think he will try very hard to win the first set, and if he does it will be Fed in 3.
Cilic in 4.
Surely, the weather is a factor here. Forecast is a maximum of 39 degrees so it will most likely still be in the 30s when play starts.
Fed in 4 is the most likely result. His net game and drop shots in top if everything else he brings is just too much for any other player right now.
Fed in 3.
Emperor Julius Ceaser,
Nice to see you back that too in color!
Are you really/was the Emperor of Rome? or Are your from France?
Why fed in 3? How much are you betting on fed in 3. can’t you bet a billion bucks on fed in 3(if you have that much lying around!lol).
And why not in fed in 4 as Cilic is playing very well with great confidence. His serving and returns seem to be very powerful and on point.
Looking for your deep logic/analysis for this pick.
I know fed will win 75% so going Fed ML on him. But the odds are very low.
Mulling if fed will win by -5.5 games. Are you or your friends betting on this?
Congrats Roger (and to me….read below) for winning the 2018 AO Championship and in the process achieving an unbelievable 20 Grand Slams!
Thanks Roger for making my above huge bet of
1) Fed ML and
2) -5.5 games Roger…as discussed above…
(finalized it finally b4 match started)! Also bet on the over as I knew that Cilic would win atleast 1 set (and push the over) as he was playing well without injuries and was healthy-n-fit!
Did anyone bet on the above bets? Congrats to Roger’s(I mean both Rogers) followers!lol
How many more points does “Roger the GOAT” need to become World No.1?
Congratulation Roger (GOAT) and Roger (tennis betting expert). 😊 I actually betted fed straight sets win with small stake and -5 games with medium stake.
By the way, I’m an emperor of neither Rome nor France. Lol.. I’m just lurking here, I’m a shy type and I’m not so good in english (i have so limited english my friend lol).
Cilic is off to a Cilicesque start. Is he down with blisters ? Sweating like hell already.
Looks so easy for Fed against this Cilic!
Berdych really has to bang his head against the wall a few times, I mean if he got past Fed, he would have a compromised Chung in the SF and then this Cilic in the final! What an easy path to the trophy after beating Fed.
Should be a straight sets win for Fed here, Cilic can’t figure out how to return Fed’s tricky serves, and he’s having difficulties holding his own!
Roger beat Berdych in straights though. Berdych had chances in the first but it’s not like he should’ve won that match or would’ve won even if he had taken the first. Don’t know why he would be banging his head on a wall after he couldn’t even take a set.
Ha, he should be banging it harder, for not winning that first set! And I do think that the longer he dragged the match, the more likely Fed’s level would drop.
Beginning to wonder how come Cilic beat Fed is USO 2014. Its lkike Serena-Sharapova kind of match up. Sharapova last beat Serena in Before Christ era and after that Serena has shown where Maria belongs.
Cilic just played flawless power tennis that day. It didn’t help Roger that his legs weren’t that fresh after his great escape from his match with Monfils but Cilic basically redlined and took the match out of Fed’s racket. Seems to me that Roger is serving too well and playing too relaxed and confident to get dominated by anybody like that again.
I think Fed was robbed off a potential USO that day. He would have gobbled up Kei very easily. Even Cilic is lucky to hold 5 straight games in second set today.
Cilic not a smart server, I mean why always be so predictable when serving at the Ad court, serving out wide to Fed’s BH so often that Fed is expecting that and returning so readily! For a change, at least serve to the FH and catch Fed off guard!
OTOH, Fed is holding serve so easily!
Very nervy game there from Fed, and he’s lucky not to have lost the 2nd set. I think Cilic is starting to feel his oats a bit, and Fed’s level seems to be dropping a bit.
High quality TB so far; nothing but winners at the changeover.
Greg Rusedski
@GregRusedski1
49m ago
One guy warms up indoors, other warms up outdoors before the finals. Roof is closed. 🤔 This is so wrong for a GS final which is an outdoor event, which means you should have to deal with the elements. So far one sided. I hope Cilic can get back into the match.
Well they didn’t close it just because. They closed the roof due to something called the “Wet Globe Temperature” and if it exceeds something like 32.5 degrees, then they have to close the roof, according to Aus Open policy. I find it dumb that they don’t do it for normal on and off court temperature, like on Thursday and Friday of the tournament when Monfils and Djokovic played. It was much hotter then but according to the commentators, they don’t factor in the sun and its effects on the temperature for this Wet Globe Temperature. Also, it was 37 degrees like an hour or a half hour before the final and I think that played a part as well although I’m not sure there.
They favour Federer. That’s now clear for all to see and even the commies are beginning to speak out.
Oh yeah they do generally give him preferential treatment with his scheduling for sure (although he didn’t have an extra day of rest before today like Cilic and he could’ve had Djokovic then too). But Rafa gets preferential treatment too as he should easily be called for time violations on several occasions and players have spoken out about that on numerous occasions. I personally don’t mind that Rafa takes a lot of time between points and during changeovers but they do enforce that rule a lot less with Rafa. Honestly, I would like to think that Fedal deserves some preferential treatment after all they have done for the sport.
And last year’s final between Roger and Rafa was played outdoors. And Roger still won it. I don’t think the outdoor/indoor thing is the deciding factor for this one or in most matches. What I do think is that Roger was probably in contact with the tournament prior to the final and they may have told him or hinted that it was likely that the final would be played indoors due to the rising temperatures and the tournament policy. I just hope that if Roger wins this, you and/or other Rafans won’t try to find a bunch of ways to discredit an incredible 20th slam win at the age of 36 (i.e. his draw, indoor final, etc.) especially after last year’s win where he had one of the toughest paths having to win three five setters to take the title AND had to beat Rafa outdoors.
Don’t count on it, Benny. Discrediting Fed’s slam titles is one of the main activities for certain Rafa fans.