Wimbledon, England
Roger Federer is one victory away now, and fans here at Wimbledon can’t get enough. They linger and watch him come and go to practice courts. They cheer him—loudly—every time he walks on Centre Court. They shout “C’mon Roger!” in between points. Fans are polite here and clap for Federer’s foes, but not like they do for Federer. Like so many others in tennis, the people at Wimbledon want to see history, to watch Federer win his record eighth Wimbledon and his record 19th Grand Slam title. And Federer wants to give it to them.
Federer looked strong again on Friday, other than a hiccup when he failed to hold serve in the first set and squandered a lead. But there was never a doubt in his straight-sets defeat of hard-hitting Tomas Berdych, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4. Federer has now beaten Berdych 19 times, against just six losses. Why? Because everything Berdych does well—serve, forehand, backhand, volleys—Federer does them better. Even at the age of 35.
“This guy doesn’t really seem like he is getting any older or anything like that, or slowing down at all,” the 31-year-old Berdych said. “I mean, he’s playing barely with any mistakes.”
In Sunday’s final Federer will face Marin Cilic, who beat American Sam Querrey 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5. Cilic will be playing his first Wimbledon final. Federer will be playing his 11th, with one defeat coming in 2008, the year he and Rafael Nadal met for one of the finest matches—in my mind, the best—in Grand Slam history. (Nadal won in five sets.) And Federer has lost his last two finals here, both against Novak Djokovic, in 2014 and 2015. His last championship here came in 2012, when he was 30 years old and beat Andy Murray.
But that was then. In the now, the 35-year-old Federer seems younger. He has the best backhand of his career, a more aggressive and consistent swing that is a weapon against serves. Federer mostly used to chip backhands in play with little power. Now, as he did on a break point in the third set against Berdych, he hits line drives, giving opponents little time to react. (Berdych hit the ball late and it landed wide.)
Federer’s revamped backhand amplifies the rest of his range: his forehand; his volleys, which are more precise these days; his serve, which saved him from 15-40 in the middle of the third set (he hit three aces and a service winner to hold). As for his mind, that’s in an ideal place at the moment, because Federer is as healthy as he has been in a long time.
“This year I’m just a normal tennis player again where I can focus on tactics,” Federer said before the semifinal. “I think that’s the difference. I’m playing very well. I’m rested. I’m fresh. I’m confident, too. Then great things do happen. Confidence is a huge thing.”
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Marin Cilic has learned a lot about confidence, too. For years you could watch him play tennis and think, “Why doesn’t he win more?” He’s 6’6”, yet coordinated and fast. He crushes his serve and belts forehands and backhands. He can run. And smack overheads. And, for a man his height, he can bend his knees well enough to volley near the net.
With all that, you have to wonder why he has won just one Grand Slam, at the 2014 U.S. Open—a tournament where he beat Federer in straight sets in the semifinals. Cilic said he needed time to mature and gain confidence. Last year he hired a new coach, former pro Jonas Bjorkman from Sweden. The difference, Cilic said, is subtle but essential.
“I was feeling that I could depend a lot on my own game,” Cilic said. “When I had to produce good tennis, I was producing it.”
Cilic, a 28-year-old from Croatia, is a late bloomer: He was 25 when he won the U.S. Open in 2014. His personality is so sweet that you wonder whether he’s too nice for tournaments. Nonsense, he said. He whipped that notion aside—and revealed a different element of importance: Recently amplified shouts and fist pumps on court after he hits excellent shots.
“Emotions are very important on the court, especially in my own case where I am from a quiet nature,” Cilic said. “I try to, with Jonas, with my team, lift that up, lift that spirit up. I believe that’s helping me to play a little bit freer.”
Bjorkman said he’s confident that Cilic will be ready for the final.
“He knows what it takes,” Bjorkman said. “He knows how it feels to be out there and he knows what it is to be under the pressure like that. So I definitely think that’s going to help him a lot going into Sunday.”
Federer doesn’t need to adjust, not with all the experience he has in major tournaments. He and Cilic have played seven times and Federer has won six of them, including at Wimbledon last year, when Federer came back from a two-sets-to-none deficit.
“I hope I can play one more good match,” Federer said. “That’s why I came here this year. I’m so close now, so I just got to stay focused.”
