MELBOURNE, Australia -- As he had been the entire tournament, Roger Federer was cool and composed until the very end of his match. He stood at the podium on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, addressing the crowd with a new piece of hardware in his right hand and running off a long list of thank yous.

But as he got to the end of his remarks, Federer broke down and cried. It was the moment, the pressure, the emotions leading up to the match. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, but the feeling never gets old.

Federer won the Australian Open championship with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over Marin Cilic. In the past 12 months, Federer has won back-to-back Aussie Open titles and three Grand Slam championships in all to bring his total to 20 (extending his own record).

He accomplished his latest major at 36 years, 173 days, making him the second-oldest player to win a Slam in the Open era. That, clearly, will make a grown man cry.

"I'm happy I can show emotions and share it with the people," Federer said during his on-court speech. "If I got emotional, it's because it was a full crowd again. This is for them also."

Federer has had better stretches in his career, especially that incredible run from 2005 and 2007, when he won eight of 10 Grand Slam titles. Yet you can argue that his accomplishments these past 365 days are more impressive because of what he had to do to get here.

Who wins a major after being away from competitive tennis for six months? Not only that, but before he beat Rafael Nadal here in 2017, Federer hadn't won a Slam in more than four years. That's a long time. It's been a while, but you might have forgotten about the whispers before last year's win.

Federer's top rivals (Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) are younger and more athletic. Not only that, but Federer's body was failing him. He was in the twilight of an amazing career. Done.

For the second straight year, Roger Federer won the Australian Open after a five-set final. XIN LI/Getty Images

But there was Federer on Sunday making a nervous Cilic miss so poorly that the 29-year-old Croatian was forced to change his racket just two games into the match.

Federer bounced effortlessly in that first set, strategically moving Cilic around the court as if he were a chess pawn. From there, the match was more competitive; at one point, it even appeared Federer was in real trouble after the fourth set. But then Federer regrouped and ran away with the fifth for the win, capping off an astonishing 12 months.

Federer is playing arguably the best tennis of his career after a drought that was so long we didn't even think of him as a legitimate threat to win a major anymore. The rebound is unprecedented.

Can you name another all-time great athlete who has come back from such a sharp decline to achieve greatness again?

True, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to three championships, retired for nearly two years, then came back to win three more titles. That was something special, but he was still in the prime of his career when he returned. Federer was 35 -- ancient for a top-level tennis player -- when he started winning again.</s>Roger Federer became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam tennis singles titles Sunday, defeating Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 to capture his record-tying sixth Australian Open championship.

Federer tied Roy Emerson and Novak Djokovic with his sixth Australian crown and has won three of the last five major tournaments, ESPN reported.

“I'm so happy. It's unbelievable,” said Federer, who broke down in tears after the victory. “Of course, winning is an absolute dream come true -- the fairy tale continues for me.

“After the great year I had last year, it's incredible.”

In addition to his six Australian Open titles, Federer’s Grand Slam résumé includes eight Wimbledon titles, five U.S. Open championships and one French Open title.

Sunday’s victory meant that Federer, at 36 years and 173 days, is the second-oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era. Ken Rosewall won the 1972 Australian Open when he was 37.

Federer has spent 302 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world during his career and now owns 96 titles.

“Big congratulations to Roger and his team -- it's amazing what you guys do," Cilic said. "It was an amazing journey for me to come here to the final. I had a slight chance at the beginning of the fifth (set), but Roger played a great fifth set.”

Federer now owns a 9-1 record against Cilic, including a victory in last year’s Wimbledon final.

Tennis greats weighed in with their congratulations.

Tennis greats weighed in with their congratulations.

“Nobody makes me cry like Roger Federer,” tweeted Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam winner and two-time Australian Open women’s singles title winner. “No one. … there is no one like him.”

“Congratulations Roger -- the GOAT!!” tweeted Martina Navratilova, another 18-time Grand Slam champion who won three women’s titles in Australia.

Billie Jean King added her best wishes as well, tweeting “Congratulations to @rogerfederer, @AustralianOpen men’s singles champion and GOAT!”

Meanwhile, Rod Laver, who won 11 Grand Slams and three titles in his native Australia, called the six Australian titles won by Federer, Emerson and Djokovic as “Astonishing then, incredible now.”</s>MELBOURNE, Australia — Back where his career resurgence began with a drought-breaking triumph last year, Roger Federer cried as he lifted and kissed the Australian Open trophy for a sixth time and celebrated his 20th Grand Slam title.

Federer started Sunday’s final with an intensity that stunned sixth-seeded Marin Cilic, then held his nerve in a tense, momentum-shifting match before winning 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

After going more than four years without winning a major title leading into last year’s Australian Open, Federer has now won three of the last five.

“I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable,” Federer said, taking deep breaths and choking back tears. “Of course, winning is an absolute dream come true – the fairytale continues for us, for me, after the great year I had last year, it’s incredible.”

The great Rod Laver, who lends his name to the center court at Melbourne Park, was in the crowd taking photos to mark the occasion of Federer becoming the first man to win 20 majors.

Federer started to tear up at the end of the trophy ceremony as he thanked his team in the stands. “I love you guys. Thank you,” he said. He then received a standing ovation as tears streamed down his face.

At the age of 36 years, 173 days, Federer became the second-oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era after Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at 37.

“Big congratulations to Roger and his team – it’s amazing what you guys do,” Cilic said. “It was an amazing journey for me to come here to the final. I had a slight chance at the beginning of the fifth, but Roger played a great fifth set.”

It was clear early on that the crowd would be heavily pro-Federer. The arena was filled with the red and white colors of the Swiss flag, with Federer supporters wearing Swiss flags on their shirts, hats, signs and faces. Looking ahead to a possible Federer victory, one fan held a sign reading, “The Big Two-Oh. Go Roger!”

Federer was quick off the mark, getting service breaks in the first and third games and forcing Cilic to go to his equipment bag for a new racket after just 12 points. Federer only conceded two points on his serve in the opening set, which lasted just 24 minutes and was played under a closed roof because of the heat outside.

But Cilic rallied in the second, getting his big forehand working and, after missing a set point on Federer’s serve in the 10th game, leveled the match in the tiebreaker.

Federer won the third set in 29 minutes and was up a break in the fourth but momentum swung fully again, with Cilic going on a roll to level the match. Federer’s first-serve percentage plummeted from above 80 in the third set to 36 in the fourth as Cilic attacked.

Cilic had two chances to break Federer’s serve in the first game of the fifth set, but wasted them both with two unforced errors. He then double-faulted twice in the second game to drop his own serve, giving Federer the decisive lead in the set.

Federer had won eight of their previous nine matches, including last year’s Wimbledon final. His only loss was in the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2014, where Cilic claimed his first major title.

The Swiss great wasn’t about to lose this one. Federer increased his level again, breaking Cilic again in the sixth game and then closing out at love – his celebrations delayed slightly by an unsuccessful challenge from Cilic on match point. It was a similar end to his five-set victory over Rafael Nadal here last year and, just like 12 months ago, the tears flowed.

The win wasn’t entirely without some controversy with organizers deciding early to close the roof for the final, just as they had for the afternoon mixed doubles final when Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Rohan Bopanna and Timea Babos for the title.

Former champions and commentators questioned the rationale, saying there’d been hotter days earlier in the tournament when the heat policy was not enacted.

Tournament referee Wayne McEwen can introduce the policy when the temperature reaches 104 degrees and a measure called the wet-bulb globe temperature – which combines factors such as heat, humidity and breeze – reaches 90.5.

The temperature hit 100 an hour before the men’s final and the tournament organizers issued a statement saying that the WGBT reading was 91 at that time.

“With no dramatic reduction forecast, the referee exercised his discretion and called for the roof to be closed,” Tennis Australia said in a statement. “At no other time during the event this year has the WBGT reading reached the threshold.”</s>MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Roger Federer will attempt to win his 20th Grand Slam singles title when he plays Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final on Sunday night.

Federer, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, is also vying for his sixth title here.

The Swiss star owns an 8-1 head-to-head record and defeated Cilic in straight sets in last year's Wimbledon final, although Cilic was affected by blisters in that match.

The mixed doubles final will open play Sunday at Rod Laver Arena. Rohan Bopanna and India and Hungary's Timea Babos will play Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Croatia's Mate Pavic.

On Saturday, Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam title and took the No. 1 ranking from Simona Halep with a three-set win over the Romanian player in the women's final.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Roger Federer captured his sixth Australian Open title on Sunday, defeating No. 6 Marin Cilic in five sets.

Federer and Cilic battle for three hours and three minutes before the Swiss prevailed 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win a record 20th Grand Slam title.

Here's how the tennis world reacted to Federer's title.

Of course, even Federer himself took to Twitter to celebrate his victory in Melbourne:</s>MELBOURNE, Australia — Roger Federer will attempt to win his 20th Grand Slam singles title when he plays Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final on Sunday night.

Federer, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, is also vying for his sixth title here.

The Swiss star owns an 8-1 head-to-head record and defeated Cilic in straight sets in last year's Wimbledon final, although Cilic was affected by blisters in that match.

The mixed doubles final will open play Sunday at Rod Laver Arena. Rohan Bopanna and India and Hungary's Timea Babos will play Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Croatia's Mate Pavic.</s>Melbourne: Even by Roger Federer's standards, his path to a 30th grand slam final has been a breeze but things are about to hot up as Croatian Marin Cilic prepares to try to stop the Swiss claiming a sixth Australian Open title on Sunday.

Federer has only been extended past the two-hour mark twice in reaching his seventh final in Melbourne and even those two matches this week against unseeded Marton Fucsovics and Tomas Berdych were relatively straightforward straight-sets wins.

Here's a look at some of the interesting facts and figures ahead of the much-awaited final:

Roger Federer and Marin Cilic will be playing each other in their second Grand Slam final. The Swiss great breezed past the Croatian in straight sets at last year's Wimbledon final but a tearful Cilic played in pain from a nasty foot blister. He had previously conquered Federer in three sets in the semi-finals on the way to his 2014 US Open triumph. Overall, Federer leads 8-1, and 3-1 at Slams.

Cilic is the first Croatian man or woman to play in an Australian Open final and is bidding to become the country's first multiple Major winner ahead of Goran Ivanisevic and Iva Majoli, who won one each. Ivanisevic has played in more major finals — four to Cilic's three.

If Federer wins the final in straight sets he will equal Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal for most Grand Slam titles at three without dropping a set through the tournament. It would be the second time for Federer at the Australian Open after powering through the 2007 event without losing a set.

Age shall not weary them

Federer at 36 is bidding to win a third major title after turning 35. Australian great Ken Rosewall is the only other man to have won a Slam title after his 35th birthday in the post-1968 Open Era, at 37 years old in the 1972 Australian Open.

Federer and Cilic practised together last month when they discovered, by accident, they were holidaying together in the Maldives. “It was just the two of us and we were both looking for a hitting partner and it happened that we were there,” Federer said. "We actually went to practice twice for 45 minutes. It was great fun. No coaches, no nothing, just the two of us on the court hitting balls. It was just nice and laid-back."

Federer is aiming to add to his five Australian Open titles and in the process win a record 20th Grand Slam. It will be his seventh decider at Melbourne Park, a feat no one else has achieved. The Swiss great began his year at the Hopman Cup and won all four of his singles matches, putting him on a 10-match unbeaten streak. He will be the third oldest man to contest the Melbourne Park final and has extended his record for most Grand Slam final appearances to 30. Rafael Nadal is next with 23.

The towering Croat, one of the tallest men on tour at 6 feet 6 inches, won his first major title at the 2014 US Open, defeating Kei Nishikori in the final. He is at a career-high in the rankings and by beating Kyle Edmund in the semis will rise to No 3 in the world. Nicknamed "Chila", he made the final at Wimbledon last year, losing to Roger Federer and won at the event in Istanbul to go with five semi-final appearances. He warmed up for the Australian Open by making the semi-finals in Pune. His previous best at Melbourne Park was the last four in 2010.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A look at the records of Swiss Roger Federer and Croatian Marin Cilic before their final at the Australian Open on Sunday (prefix number denotes seeding).

The defending champion has made short work of his opponents this year and has not dropped a set at Melbourne Park en route to a record seventh Australian Open final.

Federer, who thrashed Cilic in the Wimbledon title clash last year and enjoys an 8-1 head-to-head record against the Croat, will be the favourite to beat him at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday as he bids for his 20th grand slam title.

The former U.S. Open champion has gone about his business in ruthless fashion at Melbourne Park this year to become Croatia’s first Australian Open finalist.

The sixth seed, who beat ailing opponents in Rafa Nadal and Kyle Edmund in his last two rounds, will be fresh after two full days off before the final and primed to go the distance against Federer as he targets a second grand slam.</s>Roger Federer has captured his 20th Grand Slam singles title, beating Marin Cilic in a tense, back-and-forth Australian Open final 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

 

It's the sixth Australian Open title in Federer's illustrious career, going along with his eight titles in Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and one at the French Open.

 

Cilic had two chances to break Federer's serve in the first game of the fifth set, but wasted them both with two unforced errors. The Croatian player then double-faulted twice in the second game to drop his own serve, giving Federer the decisive lead in the set.

 

The crowd at Rod Laver Arena loudly cheered him on as he neared his 20th Grand Slam win, chanting his name between games and applauding Cilic's errors.

 

At the age of 36 years, 173 days, Federer also becomes the second-oldest man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era after Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at 37.

 

Federer was overcome with emotion as he concluded his remarks to the Rod Laver Arena crowd following his victory over Marin Cilic. He had difficulty finishing his speech, tearing up as he thanked his team and then starting to cry as the crowd gave him a lengthy standing ovation.</s>By winning the Australian Open, Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer made three records. He became the oldest player in the Open Era to win the Australian Open title for the sixth time, joining Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson and Roger’s total Grand Slam tally went to 20, which is the highest of all times. The tennis star defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win his third major title at 36.

Roger’s win-loss record in Melbourne stands at 94-13 and his Grand Slam mark stands at 332-52.

“I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable, it’s been a long day,” Federer said. “I’m happy it’s over now. The fairy tale continues for us, for me, it’s incredible,” he added as he clenched the Norman Brookes trophy.

Federer had entered the final without dropping a set but Cilic put a halt to that as he swung magnificently from the back of the court. This was evident in the second set and the fourth set. Cilic, in the fourth set, came from 1-3 down to break Federer’s twice back-to-back to go on and forced a conclusive fifth set. Federer left no stone unturned with the 6-1 win in the last set. However, the major decisive factor were the unforced errors with Cilic committing 64 and Roger with only 40.

“I kept thinking about the outcome quite often. It kept playing in my mind, ‘What if I lost?’At the end it is a relieving feeling. I’ll think about it for a long time," the 36-year-old winner said after the match.
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer successfully defends his title in the five-sets men's singles final against Marin Čilić, winning his sixth title at the Australian Open and becoming the first man to win 20 titles in Grand Slam tournaments.