Another Grand Slam for Federer
EVEN AFTER 20 grand slam titles, the tears gushing down Roger Federer’s cheeks after winning his sixth Australian Open crown yesterday showed the competitive fires still rage within the 36-year-old Swiss.
Having regained control to put down sixth seed Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 3-6 6-1 under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena, Federer promptly lost it at the end of his victory speech.
“And my team, I love you guys. Thank you,” Federer, cradling the Norman Brookes Cup, said with a quivering voice before breaking down in tears.
The show of emotion triggered a standing ovation in the terraces, the tears spreading to his wife Mirka and parents in the players’ box.
Tennis great Rod Laver, 79, snapped the moment on his mobile phone for posterity.
Joining Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson as the only men to win six Australian Open trophies, Federer also emulated Laver by winning his fourth grand slam title after his 30th birthday.
Having qualified for an astonishing 30th grand slam final, Federer admitted that nerves had got the better of him during a scorching hot day as he waited to take his place for the evening match.
“My thoughts were all over the place. All day I was thinking ‘What if I lost? What if I won?’ Every minute of the day,” he said. “Thank God I slept to 11.”
The nerves returned for the Swiss at several stages through the three-hour three-minute clash, and he felt the trophy slipping from his grasp after the fourth set.
He had to save two break points in an epic service game at the start of the fifth set before riding the momentum home as Cilic’s power game wavered.
“At the end of the second (set) I got nervous and that is the reason I lost the second set and I couldn’t take control of the match,” added Federer.
“It got tight and Marin held me out in the third and the fifth. “I got lucky tonight.” Beating Federer is a daunting enough prospect at the best of times but Cilic must be wondering when he will get a fair crack against the record-breaking Swiss.
Six months ago in his first Wimbledon final, the Croatian was hobbled by blisters that left him at the mercy of Federer, who duly notched his 19th grand slam title.
Yesterday circumstances again conspired against the 29 year old.
Ferocious temperatures meant tournament organisers made a late call to play the showpiece final with the roof closed.
And while Federer had warmed up on Rod Laver Arena with the roof closed earlier in the day, Cilic prepared with his usual routine on an outside court, apparently expecting oven-like conditions.
When play began Cilic was all at sea. Against the best front-runner in the business and the best exponent of indoor tennis, for Cilic it was like climbing Mount Everest with a fridge.
Cilic did not even receive much appreciation for his effort. Federer has proxy-Aussie status Down Under and the sell-out crowd was on his side chanting “Roger, Roger” as the match wore on.
If only there were a grand slam in Zagreb, Cilic must have thought.
While making no excuses, Cilic said the roof decision, provoked by the tournament’s “extreme heat” rules, had thrown him off a little at the start of the contest.
Cilic, though, can console himself with a rise to world number three. – Reuters IT WILL probably still go down as a disappointing series for the Blitzboks, who capitulated in the Sydney final, falling to the host nation Australia 29-0. However, they can take the solace that they have moved ahead of New Zealand on the overall standings to lead heading in to the Hamilton Sevens this week.
The final itself was especially disappointing as the Blitzboks were outplayed in most areas of the park, even their rock-solid defence letting them down. Tackles were missed on regular occasion, leading to tries at inopportune moments. To compound matters, the Blitzboks, defending their Sydney crown, looked impervious through the entire three-day event.
Still, having been two points behind New Zealand, who with England and Fiji combined had a poor tournament by not reaching the Cup semifinals, the Blitzboks are now four points clear at the top.
“There is not much to be happy about the final,” coach Neil Powell lamented. “We had a couple of chances in the first half, but we were not clinical enough. Even in first phase we were poor, lost two of our scrum feeds, and had a poor option from a lineout as well. We were still in at halftime, but once they got momentum in the second half, we could not stop them.”
Powell added that their defence was good during the weekend, but poor in the final. “We only conceded two tries all day, but then five in the final.”