All of the top contenders in the men’s singles competition at this year’s Wimbledon have fallen, except for one man: Roger Federer.
The winningest player at the All England Club proved once again why he’s the best at what he does on grass. Federer defeated 11th-seeded Tomas Berdych in the semifinal round in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4, to set up a final-round clash against Marin Cilic this Sunday. And with a win over Cilic, the Swiss phenom will break the tie he currently has with William Renshaw and Pete Sampras for the most Wimbledon men’s singles titles in history.
There’s simply been no stopping Federer, who has yet to drop a set throughout the this year’s tournament. The 35-year-old even has a lifetime record of 6-1 against his next and final opponent in England, including last year’s victory at the quarterfinal stage of Wimbledon.
In addition, four of those six wins over Cilic were won in straight sets. Having said that, it’s more than likely that Federer will emerge victorious from his favorite Grand Slam tournament and add another unprecedented milestone at the All England Club to his already decorated professional career.
Following three-consecutive quarterfinal appearances, Marin Cilic has finally broken through to the final round of Wimbledon after defeating Sam Querrey in the semis, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-5.
Cilic, a former US Open champion, is looking to win his second-career Grand Slam title this weekend. However, the 28-year-old veteran has the toughest opponent one could ask for at the All England Club in Federer, and he’s also shown some signs of regression in his last two matches. Cilic needed four hotly-contested sets before pulling away with the win over Querrey and was also taken to the limit by Gilles Muller in their five-set, quarterfinal marathon of a match.
Then again, Cilic does have a victory over Federer to his credit; a straight-sets win in the semifinal round of the 2014 US Open wherein he would go on to be crowned as the tournament’s overall winner. Not only that, but he also gave Federer quite a scare the last time they faced each other at last year’s edition of Wimbledon, with Federer needing all five sets before dispatching the Croatian.
Writer’s Prediction
Federer (-550) makes Wimbledon history indeed by defeating Cilic in four sets.
