01/28/2018
In the end, amid his traditional tears at Melbourne Park, the most remarkable part of Roger Federer’s 20th Grand Slam singles title was that it came as no surprise. Not even at age 36 in a sport where the spoils have generally been reserved for a much younger crowd. Federer, like Serena Williams, has redefined the limits. After going nearly five years without a major, he has now won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments. On Sunday, under a closed roof in Rod Laver Arena, he secured his sixth Australian Open by holding on to defeat Marin Cilic, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Federer is the oldest man to win the Australian Open since one of his role models, Ken Rosewall, in 1972. Back then, this event was played on grass in the much more intimate setting of the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, with no retractable roofs in sight. Federer is no underdog at this late stage of his tennis career. Though seeded No. 2 behind Rafael Nadal, he was the clear favorite coming into the event, even if he resisted that label. “I don’t think a 36-year-old should be a favorite of a tournament,” Federer said before the tournament began. “It should not be the case.” But he proved the pundits correct, defending the title he won much more unexpectedly last year, when he was returning from a six-month break to heal a lingering knee problem. That surprise victory, secured after a series of marathon matches, meant so much to him. But Sunday night’s five-set victory over the sixth-seeded Cilic clearly resonated deeply with him, too. Federer broke down in tears – not for the first time— during the trophy ceremony in Rod Laver Arena as Laver himself was taking pictures with his phone from the front row. “The fairy tale continues, for us, for me,” Federer said, looking toward his team and his family in the players box and fighting to keep his composure. “After the great year I had last year, it’s incredible.”
