It will be a rematch of one of last year’s most memorable Wimbledon moments when Roger Federer and Marin Cilic meet again on Sunday at the All-England Club, this time with a Grand Slam title at stake.
In a 2016 quarterfinal contest, Cilic led Federer two sets to love only to see the Swiss storm back for a 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 victory. That extended Federer’s head-to-head series lead to 6-1 and they have not faced each other since. If the former world No. 1’s 2016 Wimbledon comeback was impressive, Cilic’s lone win over him was nothing short of remarkable. In the 2014 U.S. Open semis, the Croat was just about unplayable in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 romp that led to his first major triumph two days later.
Both men have been close to if not at their absolute best throughout this fortnight, to the extent that they are clearly the cream of the crop on grass right now–at least given the physical problems of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
For the third time in his career, Federer is through to a Wimbledon final without dropping a single set. The 35-year-old erased Alexandr Dolgopolov (via second-set retirement), Dusan Lajovic, Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, and Tomas Berdych to reach his 11th Wimbledon final overall. He is 30-2 this season with titles at the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, and the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
Given his own current form and his draw (with Murray ailing and Rafael Nadal having struggled mightily at the All-England Club dating back to 2012), Cilic was always a serious contender to be the top-half finalist. That turned out to be exactly the case, starting with convincing blowouts of Philipp Kohlschreiber, Florian Mayer, Steve Johnson, and Roberto Bautista Agut before tougher victories over Gilles Muller (five sets) and Sam Querrey (four). The sixth-ranked Croat is 22-5 since beginning the year with an alarmingly poor 7-8 record.
“It’s a nice change,” Federer said when asked about facing someone other than Murray, Nadal, or Djokovic in a major title match. “But it doesn’t make things easier, in my opinion.”
Cilic went up against Kei Nishikori in his only previous slam final and dominated 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. It goes without saying that a date with a red-hot 18-time Grand Slam champion will be a much tougher proposition.
“I believe this is his home court, (the) place where he feels the best and knows that he can play the best game,” Cilic said of Federer. “Obviously I’m going to look back 12 months ago…. I was one point away from winning a match over here against him. Definitely I believe in my own abilities to get through and to win it.
“But I still know that it’s a big mountain to climb. Roger is playing maybe one of his best tennis of his career at the moment; having a great season. It’s going to be a huge challenge.”
Cilic at his peak is one of the few players who can trouble Federer right now, and the underdog can do it even on grass. His serve, when it is firing on all cylinders like it did three years ago in New York, is one of the most dangerous in the sport. Cilic can also take time away from Federer because he hits so big off both wings from the back of the court.
That being said, Federer has been just about flawless this fortnight. These are the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s unforced error totals in his six previous matches: seven, 15, seven, 10, nine, and 19. Cilic got away with some breakdowns off his backhand side against Querrey, but he will not be able to get away with any of that on Sunday–not against Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final.
Although this will almost certainly be Federer’s most difficult test of the tournament, it continues to look like nothing will stand in his way of another Wimbledon triumph.
Pick: Federer in 4
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Can anybody interpret the below data and predict a winner for today?
2017 WIMBELDON ROGER CILIC CILIC
VS BERDYCH VS QUERRY vs MULLER
1st SERVE % 70/105 (67%)+2% 78/120 (65%) 102/157 (65%)-2%
1st SERVE POINTS WON 59/70 (84%) 69/78 (88%)+4% 86/102 (84%)-SAME
2nd SERVE POINTS WON 21/35 (60%) 28/42 (67%)+7% 26/55 (47%)-13%
BREAK POINTS WON 2/9 (22%) 4/14 (29%)+7% 3/10 (30%)+8%
TOTAL RETURN POINTS WON 46/128 (36%)+1% 53/151 (35%) 43/145 (30%)-6%
TOTAL POINTS WON 126/233 (54%) 150/271(55%)+1% 155/302 (51%)-3%
DOUBLE FAULTS 4 1(+3) 9(+5)
ACES 13 25(+12) 33(+20)
Sorry, the above data copied and pasted from MS Excel is losing its formatting!
Most of the stats above are favoring Cilic surprisingly!
I hope Ricky can add options to ATTACH FILES besides some EMOTICONS to our posts like most websites allow!
Nervous start by both players
Both players a bit tight at the outset, but the key so far is Cilic failing to get his 1st serve in. Fed with the first break; let’s see if he can consolidate.
Federer starting to feel it on his serve. Cilic has no chance if Fed serves above 70% 1st serves in.
37 mins. easy one
Fed with the first set in hand will be very hard to beat. Cilic has to raise his first serve % and play more consistently; otherwise this will be over pretty quickly.
cilic started to cry literally 😀
Yeah, I don’t think i’ve ever seen something like that. I feel bad for the guy; I hope he starts playing better, even though I dont’ think there’s much he can do when Roger is playing like this.
All over, Cilic didnt turn up. Enjoying Fed’s ceremony
Not quite true that Cilic didn’t turn up. Roger is just not letting him get into any rhythm. Cilic isn’t playing well, of course, but it’s at least as much that Roger is not letting him play well.
Fed’s winning it in 3 sets!
This will go down as one of Fed’s easiest grand slam victories.
Almost as easy as a walkover.
What is going on? Someone just told me that they let him call his doctor or something to calm down? I don’t understand- he seems to be moving just fine, so it doesn’t look like it’s physical… Maybe he has some kind of nagging injury, and he broke down mentally because he was fully there for the moment? I’ve never seen this before at a major, personally.
Something is wrong physically with Cilic. I can’t believe it’s this lop-sided.
Maybe the problem was there before the match and Cilic, not wanting to give a w/o to Fed and the fans, simply forced himself to play — but it’s sad, very sad. Dang it.
I dont’ think it’s physical, RC. And Cilic started to play better after he had a good cry; he really started to hit his 1st serve in. But Roger is just playing (especially serving) too well.
He called a trainer, Joe, and his big foot was being worked on…at least I give him that — something more than a low flying panic attack. Poor guy. Still, for anyone hoping for a competitive match in the Wimbledon final it’s a disappointment.
Maybe a miraculous comeback like Delpo 2009, US Open. Just kidding.
Fed is coasting and he is not in second gear. Reminds me very much of Roland Garros final.
Foot blister? I think he’s upset that in a Wimbledon final, he couldn’t give his best. Too bad for him, not going to win anyway, given the way Fed is playing, but at least hope to put up a good show and not embarrasses himself.
Actually, Lucky, Cilic is continuing to go for his shots; they’re just not working for him, and Roger has a lot to do with that.
I thought I said Cilic was upset that he couldn’t give his best in a Wimbledon final, hence the breakdown after set one?
What do you mean by “give” his best? He’s obviously not playing his best, but you seem to be suggesting that he’s not trying his best. If so, I disagree. I actually think he’s trying to play his type of game more than Stan did in the RG final, where he quit trying to hit winners after about the first 3-4 games. Cilic is trying, and he’s actually starting to play better now. But I don’t think it will be enough unless Roger’s level drops significantly.
It”s typical of a Fed fan to bring Rafa’s RG final into the discussion and try to trash it. As though Stan didn’t show up.
It’s really sad to see a Fed fans even going there. But not surprising.
NNY thanks for your post.
Lucky,
You are more than welcome! I know that you have been taking a lot of criticism from Fed fans, but to see Rafa brought into this with such a cheap and pathetic attempt to demean his great win at RG, is personally offensive to me.
Yep NNY, at least Stan didn’t suffer a nervous breakdown, or broke down and almost cried, unlike Cilic.
Poor Cilic, I didn’t expect him to break down (cried almost) like this; I mean it’s not like he’s not going to have other chances of winning here; he’s only 28 or 29!
I was thinking if it’s Delpo in this final, I doubt Delpo would be so nervous! Delpo would sure fight hard, to control his nerve and to make a match of it. Cilic simply looked resigned in the second set and lost quickly, at least he did fight in the third set and not getting bageled or breadsticked.
I bet he must be crying when he’s back in the locker room, poor soul!
Why sad? I’m pointing out that Lucky always focuses on Federer’s opponent instead of giving him credit first. You can go back and read my comment after Rafa won RG. It gave him credit for his brilliant play first and foremost. Lucky never does that. She focuses first on Fed’s opponent poor play, real or imagined.
My point was that if you’re going to say Cilic didn’t show up (which Lucky and others have done), you’re ignoring the fact that he never gave up, never quit going for his 1st serve (which improved markedly), and never quit going for winners (which unfortunately for him never started falling in to any significant extent).
In contrast, Stan in the RG final quit trying to play his game (by his own admission) fairly early in the match. By the 5th game or so, the velocity on his shots had declined to about 70%, and he tried to rally with Rafa, which spelt his doom.
Now compare what the Rafans like Lucky say about the two matches. At RG, the line was this: Rafa played outstanding, and didnt’ allow Stan to play his game. Even Stan said that, but -IMO- that was a bit of a cop out on his part, because he wasn’t literally prevented; rather, he quit trying to play his game, he gave up on it. At Wimby, obviously Cilic didn’t play his best. He particularly served terribly at the start, and then he had a breakdown on court.
But guess what? He never stopped trying to play the only game that was ever going to win for him, namely, blowing Federer off the court like he did at USO 2014. He took a little pace off his serves to get more 1st serves in (a smart move), but kept trying to hit winners when he had the chance. His shots just weren’t falling.
So, NNY: nothing sad about me making the comparison. What’s a bit sad is that you guys can’t give proper credit to Fed’s unbelievable play, which should be the main story here.
Joe,
Don’t insult my intligence with a response line that! I could have used other words besides “sad” if I chose to go so. I was restraining myself.
Stan himself said that when Rafa is playing that way, then there is nothing that can be done. Yet you have now on your latest comment, have decided in your infinite wisdom that it was a cop out! I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read something like that! So you are basically making up your own version of that happened in the RG final!
You brought Rafa into this for no good reason! It was a cheap shot and unnecessary. What I simply cannot understand about some of you Fed fans, is why you can’t just be happy for your guy and leave Rafa out of it! But you just can’t resist this need to somehow chip away at Rafa as a childish way of getting back at Lucky for things she says that you don’t like. But two wrongs don’t make a right. If you don’t like what Lucky says, then you are doing the exact same thing! You are now revising what happened with the RG final because you don’t like what Lucky said about the Wimbledon final!
If you think that was the best that Cilic could play, then you don’t know his game! Others can have their own opinion.
You did what other Fed fans have done too often in the past. You drag Rafa into it and try to find a way to trash what he has done.
I feel sorry for you because you can’t just enjoy Fed’s victory without resorting to cheap shots about Rafa. That is what is sad.
Such a shame.
Joe, go and read what Cilic said about his match, he said he was sad he couldn’t give his best. I was basically saying the same thing in my earlier posts.
I don’t see what’s the problem here; do you think Cilic was playing his best tennis?? He let the second set gone by so quickly, I thought he looked resigned. It was in the third set that he tried harder, at least still wanting to put on a good showing, as it’s a slam final after all.
Joe, I’m not a Fed fan, and I will never be, so naturally I’ll concentrate on his opponents, not on him, when I watch a match involving him, simple as that.
When I watch a Rafa match, I’ll concentrate on Rafa, because he’s my fave player; when I watch a Cilic match, I’ll also concentrate on him except when he’s playing Rafa. Isn’t it the same with you, a diehard Fed fan, that you always concentrate on Fed when he plays, and youre so concerned whether others are singing him praises or not?
Wasnt that good enough when during the match, I was saying Fed playing at that level, Cilic had no chance whatsoever? Or you want me to dig into the stats and reiterate what great numbers of winners, aces, first serve % and returns % that Fed made etc? I thought that job is yours to do, you being a die hard Fed fan?
NNY: I’m not making anything up about the RG final, though it if of course my own take on it. I think Stan was mentally weak in the final, and yes, I think it was a cop-out to say that Rafa prevented him from doing anything else.
The reason I brought it up at all is that, despite thinking the above, my first comment after Rafa won was to praise his incredible play and well deserved victory -which it was. I also said, and believe, that in that mode I doubted Stan could beat him even if he was playing his best game. That Rafa was a version I haven’t seen before. All of that is consistent with thinking that a more dialled-in Stan would have made it much more competitive -just as a similar Cilic would have made this final much more competitive.
Lucky, of course I recognize that you’re not a Fed fan, just as I’m not a Rafa fan. We’ll both naturally focus on their opponents. The difference, imo, is that I think you really have a blind spot where Roger is concerned, so that you actually don’t see that his play is a big part of what is causing his opponent problems (from his comments on this thread, I think the same about Jim Courier). Even I, with what I said above about Stan, can easily recognize that in the RG final Rafa was a huge part of Stan’s inability to play his game.
Maybe I missed or minimized what you said about Fed’s high level in the wimby final, that it wouldn’t have made a difference to the outcome regardless of how Cilic played. I just think you (and many others) have exaggerated how poorly Cilic played because of his emotional breakdown. I honestly think he played about as well as Stan did in the RG final, and showed more fight, given how he played the last set.
Joe it’s a matter of opinion, we’re not going to agree about Cilic in the final. However, I would say a Berdych not plagued by foot blisters, played the best he could, put up a better test against Fed, and Fed even though not playing as well as in the final, still managed to beat Berdych in straight sets.
Well done to Fed for the whole tournament. He’s truly the master on grass, I mean the current crop, including the big four, who could challenge him to win eight Wimbledon? None I would say, perhaps Djoko can or may win one or two more? But I doubt he can win another five! Likewise for both Murray and Rafa.
Since you talked about Rafa, I’m just happy that Rafa is the master on clay, and I doubt anyone can come close to his ten FO title record, and he may even win one or two more, if he’s motivated to continue playing.
I’ll would also say that Borg is the true master on both surfaces, could dominate on both surfaces at the same time and winning six and five titles respectively (4 in a row and 5 in a row).
Rafa could only dominate on one, and Fed too, but not both.
Maybe the most impressive part of Roger’s game today is his ROS. Absolutely incredible, and sending back 130 mph serves with interest.
Lucky,
I am sure that Cilic is devastated, not simply because of the loss. There is no shame in losing, especially to someone like Fed. But it’s the way he lost. That is the thing that will stay with him and be so difficult. If Cilic came out and played his best and lost in the end, at least he would have known that he gave it his all. You can live with that. But to play so poorly, nowhere near his best, well that is hard to take.
I hope that Cilic can put this behind him and look forward to the NA summer hard court season. But I do think he needs to deal with his lack of mental strength.
Cilic is such a humble and sensitive guy. I am sure he will win Wimbledon one day if he will work hard. He was emotionally overwhelmed today and I felt sorry. It’s not his fault. He did what he could, but anxiety took over and he coudn’t manage it as hard as he tried. Only way was to let it go and accept it until it melts down. I knew he would play better after crying and speaking to his staff. He just needed to take it out somehow and calm his nerves.
Next time he plays Wimby final, his mind and body will be ready. This kind of experiences makes one much stronger. He will roll as he did against Querrey.
I remember Cilic had a 134mph serve and Roger returned it and won the point. That was amazing.
Cilic is now playing a bit like he shouldve from the start. He broke down mentally in this match, forget the injury.
Cilic started really slow and carefully and it worked against him, he shouldve started all guns blazing.
He’s too nervous, JC. I’m a bit disappointed with him for feeling so nervous, well perhaps it’s the whole arena (except his team and some fellow Croats) against him, they want Fed to win his 8th Wimbledon.