Roger Federer wins record eighth Wimbledon title

Roger Federer is back! The ruthless Swiss on Sunday thrashed Croat Marin Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon singles crowns, five years after landing his seventh and now his 19th Grand Slam singles title.

The 35-year-old Swiss maestro appearing in his 11th Wimbledon final, overwhelmed Cilic, physically and mentally, claiming victory in less than two hours to become the oldest man to claim the title in the professional era which began in 1968.

It is cruel sometimes, Federer said of Cilic's physical difficulties. But Marin fought well and is a hero, so congratulations on a wonderful tournament.

It’s disbelief that I can achieve such heights, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be here again in another final after last year.

I had some tough ones here, losing to Novak in ’14 and ’15,” he said, referring to his defeats to Novak Djokovic. But I always believed I could come back and do it again, and if you believe, you can go really far in your life.

Federer has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.

Cilic, playing in his first Wimbledon final, fought back more tears in the award ceremony as he explained that he had been committed to completing the final instead of retiring.

That’s what I did throughout all my career, he said. I never gave up when I start the match. So that was my idea also today. I gave my best, and that’s all I could do.

The victory also broke Federer’s historical tie with William Renshaw and Pete Sampras, who each won Wimbledon seven times.

He also became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set. 

Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Marina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.

With 19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men's game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24.