Only two players have won the Australian Open without giving up a set. One of them, Australian Ken Rosewall in 1971, when five games were needed to win the tournament. The other, the Swiss Roger Federer in 2007, can repeat this Sunday, and if he does he would add the sixth title in Melbourne Park and the twentieth in the Grand Slam.
In the final, Federer and Croatian Marin Cilic revive that of Wimbledon last year and they do so after adding victories in the semifinals against two of the sensations in this edition, the Korean Hyeon Chung and the British Kyle Edmund, respectively.
For Basel it is his seventh final in the first major of the season, with triumphs in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2017, and only one loss, that of 2009 against Spanish Rafael Nadal, 7-5, 3- 6, 7-6 (3), 3-6 and 6-2, after a marathon of four hours and 19 minutes.
The only time Cilic beat Federer in their nine games was in the semifinals of the 2014 US Open, where he won his only Grand Slam title. This Sunday he will play his third final of a great, the first in Australia, and he wants to forget that of Wimbledon in 2017, lost against the Swiss by 6-3, 6-1 and 6-4.
A new success against would allow Federer to equal the six titles that Serbian Novak Djokovic won at Melbourne Park and distance himself on the all-time Grand Slam win counter.
“I would be happy if I got at least one more before my retirement,” acknowledged Federer, who at 36 years and 173 days, is the third oldest finalist in Australia. He is preceded in this ranking by Ken Rosewall (37 years and 62 days) and Mal Anderson (36 years and 306 days), finalists in 1972.
Cilic is a winner. The way he behaves on the court says it. He is there to win, not just to be there ”, announced the Swiss, knowing that although he is the great favorite, he cannot be neglected in the face of a player who has a bazooka in his arm and who has already had 107 direct aces in this edition.
Roger is the most successful player in the Grand Slam. He maintains a very high level for many rounds and gets better and better when he reaches the semi-finals, finals. It is always a great challenge to play against him, “said Cilic, speaking to the ATP website.
“Winning the US Open gave him the confidence to believe in himself,” analyzed the Swiss. “When you reach decisive moments, you already know that you can raise your level. I like his attitude, he is very professional.
«He always behaves the same whether he wins or loses. On track he is a winner. He goes out to win. I like that attitude, that of not settling or feeling happy with a few rooms. The attitude of going for more », abounded the number two in the world.
The cordiality reigns between both. And chance brought them together in the Maldives Islands, when they coincided on vacation last year. “I got there first and then him,” explained Federer. When he arrived, I didn’t want to disturb him. Neither is he. But after a few days he wrote to me: ‘I’m here, if you want us to meet, tell me.’ I told him that it would be good if we trained one day because it is good to keep up. “
«Then we meet to go for a drink with our families. Met his fiancee, we had cake together. My whole family was there. Our paths crossed several times and we went to train for a couple of days together, “said Federer. EFE.
Federer struggles to match Djokovic and add the big 20
