His wand can never let him down. With the winning of Australian Open 2018, tennis magician, Roger Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title by defeating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a 3-hour final. Federer, playing in his 30th Grand Slam final, joined Novak Djokovic and Australian great Roy Emerson as joint top for the most Australian Open men’s titles.
In front of a record 743,667 spectators at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park, the Swiss master played a gem against his Croatian opponent with an incredible finesse. “I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable,” Federer said. “I’m happy it’s over, but winning is just an absolute dream come true. The fairy tale continues for me. After the great year I had last year, it’s incredible.”
Federer took off to a flying start winning the first set 6-2. But, Cilic bounced back to claim the second set. It was for the first time in this year’s tournament, Federer dropped a set. However, the World No 2 bounced back and won the third set. But from midway in the fourth set, Cilic won five games in a row and took the match into a deciding set. However, Federer lifted his game with his brilliance and broke twice in the final set to win the match.
After collecting his trophy, Federer was in tears as he thanked his family, support team and fans. “I got off to a flier, but that got me thinking about winning. I froze in the tie-break, got really nervous. I couldn’t take control of the match. I got a little bit lucky tonight,” revealed the genius.
Roger Federer has proved his greatness again and again. After going nearly five years without a major, he has now won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments. He is the oldest man now to win the Australian Open since one of his role models, Ken Rosewall, in 1972. It was then played on grass in Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, with no retractable roofs in sight. This year, after the women’s final was hampered by immense heat, the man’s final was played under a closed roof in Rod Laver Arena.
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