This is the official YouTube page of The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Championships), home of Wimbledon. The Championships 2017 will run from 3 July – 16 July.</s>New Delhi: While the world gets ready for a blockbuster Sunday evening where seven-time champion Roger Federer will take on Marin Cilic for the Wimbledon men's singles title at Centre Court, newly crowned women's champion Garbine Muguruza revealed who she is actually rooting for, however for a surprising reason.

The 23-year-old Spaniard, who lifted her second Grand Slam title after defeating veteran Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 in the women's singles final on Saturday revealed that she is cheering for Roger Federer in Sunday's final against Croatian international Marin Cilic.

"Who among the male finalists, tomorrow night, would you like to dance with?" asked one of the journalists present in the post-match conference. Muguruza, trying to laugh it away, replied, "Oh...come on!" and kept smiling. She paused for a while and then answered, "Roger!" With that, the entire room burst into laughter.

She soon added to her answer, "And I like Cilic, I have to say seriously, but I think, I wanna see if Roger has the same elegance in dancing (as on the court)."

The tradition of men and women's singles winner dancing in the Champions' ball on Sunady night hasn't been stritcly followed since 1970s, but was brought back in 2015 when Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic shared the dance floor.

With Federer heading into the finale as favourite, it seems Muguruza's wish of dancing with the Swiss international is not far from being fulfilled.</s>Media playback is not supported on this device Federer makes history - highlights

Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles with victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic.

The Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with a blister on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.

Federer, 35, finished the contest in one hour and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012.

He becomes the oldest man in the Open era to win at the All England Club.

"It is cruel sometimes," Federer said of Cilic's physical difficulties.

"But Marin fought well and is a hero, so congratulations on a wonderful tournament."

Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Martina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.

He has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.

With 19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men's game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24.

Media playback is not supported on this device Wimbledon 2017: Federer the GOAT, celebrity spotting & final day funnies

'I never give up in a match'

Among his long list of achievements, Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the Wimbledon title without dropping a set.

The tournament favourite from the outset, he was rarely troubled over the course of seven matches, and Cilic was not in the condition to provide a serious test.

"I never give up in a match. I gave it my best - it's all I can do," Cilic said afterwards.

Federer was playing in his 11th Wimbledon final and Cilic his first, and the gap in experience showed from the early stages.

Cilic, 28, hit a forehand which bounced before the net on the opening point as the nerves appeared hard to shake off.

Federer offered up a couple of early double faults but there was a sense of inevitability about the first break, which came in game five after Cilic fell heavily chasing down a drop shot, and then sent a backhand into the net.

A beautiful cross-court forehand helped Federer towards set point in game nine and Cilic duly double-faulted, ending the set with a 49% first-serve percentage that hardly troubled the Swiss.

After Federer made it 3-0 in the second set, a tearful Cilic sat in his chair as the doctor, tournament referee and supervisor attended to him.

Media playback is not supported on this device 'Whole of Croatia was crying with him'

'It's a wonderful moment for the family'

Cilic later revealed that it was emotional rather than physical pain at that stage, but he was clearly in some distress and there was little he could do to stop Federer racing into a two-set lead after just 61 minutes.

A medical time-out was taken before the start of the third set and this time strapping and padding applied to Cilic's left foot.

A first retirement in a men's singles final since 1911 appeared likely but Cilic struggled on, while Federer probed for the break that would surely end his wait for a Wimbledon title.

It came at 3-3, when Cilic netted a backhand and successive forehands, and only the dark clouds above Centre Court appeared capable of delaying Federer's coronation.

Fourteen years on from his first victory, there were signs of nerves when he served for the title for the first time since 2012.

Media playback is not supported on this device 'I should take more time off' - Federer jokes after win

A first championship point disappeared with a wayward forehand, but an ace down the middle followed and it was the celebrating Swiss who was now tearful as he looked to his team and family, including wife Mirka and four children, in the stands.

"I think the younger twins think this is a nice view and a nice playground - hopefully one day they'll understand," added Federer.

"They come for the finals. It's a wonderful moment for the family and my team.

"This one is for us. Thank you to Wimbledon, thank you Switzerland."

Media playback is not supported on this device 'I never give up' - Cilic's post-match interview

Analysis

Boris Becker, three-time Wimbledon champion: "We can't emphasise enough all the records Federer has broken, and with tough competition.

"Everybody is younger than him and he finds the way to win easily, and do it consistently on every surface, apart from clay. It's just impossible to fathom. You think, where is he going to go now? Will it be 20 Grand Slams at the US Open?"

Tim Henman, four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist: "Because Federer makes it look so easy and the technique is effortless, people take for granted the training that he does. He's meticulous and at the age of 35 he knows what works for him.

"I've seen him in the locker room doing all the exercises for his lower back, which he can struggle with. He can struggle with his shoulder as well. I think fundamentally he loves what he does. This is his hobby, not his job. If it stays that way, there's no reason why he can't keep playing."

Media playback is not supported on this device Wimbledon: Roger Federer's record eight Wimbledon titles

Federer - the standout statistics

Most successful men in singles Grand Slams 19 titles - Roger Federer 15 - Rafael Nadal 14 - Pete Sampras 12 - Novak Djokovic, Roy Emerson 11 - Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver 10 - Bill Tilden 8 - Ken Rosewall, Fred Perry, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl</s>(AP Photo/Alastair Grant). Croatia's Marin Cilic returns to Sam Querrey of the United States during their Men's Singles semifinal match on day eleven at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Friday, July 14, 2017.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant). Switzerland's Roger Federer pats the ball back to a ballboy after holding serve as he plays his Men's Singles semifinal match against Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych on day eleven at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in Londo...

LONDON (AP) - After Roger Federer closed out a Wimbledon final that was more of a coronation than a contest with an ace, he sat in his changeover chair and wiped away tears.

That is when it hit him: His wait for record-breaking No. 8 was over. Until then, Federer wasn't focused on the notion of winning the grass-court tournament more often than any other man in the history of an event first held in 1877. All he'd been concerned with, consumed with, was being healthy enough to compete at a high level and, he hoped, to win a title, regardless of what the total count would be.

Capping a marvelous fortnight in which he never dropped a set, Federer won his eighth Wimbledon trophy and 19th Grand Slam championship overall by overwhelming Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in merely 1 hour, 41 minutes Sunday.

"Wimbledon was always my favorite tournament. Will always be my favorite tournament. My heroes walked the grounds here and walked the courts here. Because of them, I think I became a better player, too," said Federer, who will turn 36 next month and is the oldest male champion at the All England Club in the Open era, which began in 1968.

"To mark history here at Wimbledon really means a lot to me just because of all of that, really," he said. "It's that simple."

His first major title came at Wimbledon in 2003, and was followed by others in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. He won again in 2009 and 2012. But then he lost finals in 2014 and 2015 to Novak Djokovic.

He couldn't be sure another final, let alone title, was possible a year ago, when he lost in the semifinals, then took the rest of 2016 off to let his surgically repaired left knee heal.

"It's been a long road," he said.

Sunday's outcome was only in doubt for about 20 minutes, the amount of time it took Federer to grab his first lead.

Cilic said afterward he developed a painful blister on his left foot during his semifinal Friday, and that affected his ability to move properly or summon the intimidating serves that carried him to his lone Grand Slam title at the 2014 U.S. Open, where he surprisingly beat Federer in the semifinals.

This one was all Federer, who had been tied at seven championships with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw in what's still officially called Gentlemen's Singles. Sampras won all but one of his in the 1990s; Renshaw won each of his in the 1880s, when the previous year's winner advanced automatically to the final.

With clouds overhead and a bit of chill in the air Sunday, Federer's early play was symptomatic of jitters. For everything he's accomplished, for all of the bright lights and big settings to which he's become accustomed, the guy many have labeled the "GOAT" - Greatest of All Time - admits to feeling heavy legs and jumbled thoughts to this day.

It was Federer, not Cilic, who double-faulted in his first two service games. And it was Federer, not Cilic, who faced the initial break point, in the fourth game. But Cilic netted a return, beginning a run of 17 points in a row won by Federer on his serve. He would never be confronted with another break point.

"I gave it my best," Cilic said. "That's all I could do."

In the next game, Federer broke to lead 3-2. He broke again to take that set when Cilic double-faulted, walked to the changeover and slammed his racket. Cilic sat and covered his head with a white towel.

With Federer up 3-0 in the second set, Cilic cried while he was visited by a doctor and trainer. He said that was not so much a result of his foot's pain as the idea that he could not play well enough to present a challenge.

"Very tough emotionally," said Cilic, whose foot was re-taped by a trainer after the second set. "I knew that I cannot give my best on the court."

It might not have mattered. Federer was, as he'd been all tournament, flawless, the first man in 41 years to win Wimbledon without ceding a set. Against Cilic, he had 23 winners, only eight unforced errors.

This caps a remarkable reboot for Federer, who departed Wimbledon a year ago with a lot of doubts: His body was letting him down for the first time in his career. He skipped the Rio Olympics, the U.S. Open and everything else in an attempt to try to get healthy.

It worked. And how.

Feeling refreshed and fully fit, Federer returned to the tour in January and was suddenly playing like the guy of old, rather than like an old guy.

In a turn-back-the-clock moment, he faced rival Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final and, with a fifth-set comeback, won. It was Federer's 18th Grand Slam title, adding to his own record, and first in 4½ years. Those who had written Federer off needed to grab their erasers.

The formula made sense, clearly, so why not try it again? Federer skipped this year's clay-court circuit to be in top shape for the grass courts he loves so dearly. Sunday's victory made Federer 31-2 in 2017, with a tour-leading five titles.

"On one side, yes, it surprises me. On the other side, I know he's able to do so many things. So it's not surprising," coach Severin Luthi said. "But when it happens, it's amazing."

Yes, Federer is back to being supreme in tennis, lording over the sport the way no man has.

He's not, of course, the same 21-year-old kid who had a ponytail and scruff when he beat Mark Philippoussis in the 2003 Wimbledon final. Or the teen who, two years earlier, beat Sampras himself at Centre Court in the fourth round, their only tour-level meeting.

Federer's hair is cropped, his face clean shaven. He's a father of four, and both sets of twins - boys, 3, in their light blue blazers; girls, 7, in their dresses - were in the guest box for Sunday's trophy ceremony.

One son stuck a couple of fingers in his mouth until a sister grabbed his hand.

"They have no clue what's going on. They think it's probably a nice view and a nice playground. But it's not quite like that here, so one day, hopefully, they'll understand," Federer said about his boys.

As for the girls, he said: "They enjoy to watch a little bit. They come for the finals, I guess."

When Dad is Roger Federer, you can wait until the last Sunday to show up.

And you just might get to see him cradle that gold trophy.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Roger Federer wrote a new chapter in his historic tennis career Sunday, beating Croatia’s Marin Cilic to win a Wimbledon men’s singles title for an unprecedented eighth time.

Although it was back and forth for the early parts of the opening set, the match was soon lopsided with Federer winning, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

Federer, who appropriately ended the match with his eighth ace, didn’t lose a set throughout the tournament. It was his first Wimbledon title since 2012.

“It’s disbelief that I can achieve such heights,” said Federer, 35, who lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, hampered by a knee injury, and took the rest of the year off. “I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be in another final here since losing last year… but I always believed I could come back and do it again.”

Federer, is the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the Open Era, which began in 1968. Earlier this year, when he won the Australian Open, he was the oldest to do so since 37-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1972.

The 6-foot-6 Cilic wasn’t overpowered, but buckled under the weight of a slew of unforced errors. Typically, Federer was a machine with his fluid groundstrokes and deft play at the net.

At one point, with Federer leading in the second set, 3-0, Cilic spent an extended period in his courtside chair, was talked to by a medical team, then, red-faced and clearly upset, he pulled a towel over his head and sat there for several moments. He got a standing ovation when he returned to play.

After he lost that set, Cilic removed his left shoe and had his bandaged foot examined. He then took a medical timeout while his foot was re-taped. The nature of Cilic’s injury wasn’t clear, but it was vaguely referenced in the on-court interview after the match.

“Throughout my career, I never gave up once I started a match,” he said. “I gave my best today and that’s all I could do.”



Coming into the match with seven Wimbledon singles championships, Federer was tied with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw in that category.

Federer now has the second most titles in the same Grand Slam tournament, two shy of Rafael Nadal’s 10 French Open titles, and is 19-10 in Grand Slam finals.</s>Roger Federer became the first man to win Wimbledon eight times yesterday and extended his record to 19 Grand Slam titles with victory over Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

The Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 as seventh seed Cilic struggled with blisters on his left foot and broke down in tears during the second set.

Federer, 35, finished the contest and 41 minutes to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2012.

He becomes the oldest man in the Open Era to win at the All England Club.

“It is cruel sometimes,” Federer said of Cilic’s physical difficulties.

“But Marin fought well and is a hero, so congratulations on a wonderful tournament.

Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Marina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.

He has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.

With 19 major titles he extends his lead over Rafael Nadal in the men’s game to four, and now stands joint-fourth on the all-time list with Helen Wills Moody, five behind Margaret Court on 24.

Among his long list of achievements, Federer became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the Wimbledon title without dropping a set.

The tournament favourite from the outset, he was rarely troubled over the course of seven matches, and Cilic was not in the condition to provide a serious test.

“I never give up in a match. I gave it my best – it’s all I can do,” Cilic said afterwards.

Federer was playing in his 11th Wimbledon final and Cilic his first, and the gap in experience showed from the early stages.

Cilic, 28, hit a forehand which bounced before the net on the opening point as the nerves appeared hard to shake off.

Federer offered up a couple of early double faults but there was a sense of inevitability about the first break, which came in game five after Cilic fell heavily chasing down a drop shot, and then sent a backhand into the net.

A beautiful cross-court forehand helped Federer towards set point in game nine and Cilic duly double-faulted, ending the set with a 49 per cent first-serve percentage that hardly troubled the Swiss.

After Federer made it 3-0 in the second set, a tearful Cilic sat in his chair as the doctor, tournament referee and supervisor attended to him.</s>Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates with the trophy after beating Croatia's Marin Cilic in the Men's Singles final match on day thirteen at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Sunday, July 16, 2017. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP)</s>Jul 14, 2017; London, United Kingdom; Roger Federer (SUI) in action during his match against Tomas Berdych (CZE) on day eleven at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

LONDON (Reuters) - Already one of the greatest sportsmen of his era, Roger Federer will become the most successful man in Wimbledon history if he can beat Croatian Marin Cilic on Sunday's final and claim an unprecedented eighth men's singles title.

The Swiss, level with Britain's William Renshaw and American Pete Sampras on seven titles, is rejuvenated after taking a six-month break last year and enters the final as the clear favorite having not dropped a set in the tournament.

Add in the fact he has been almost unstoppable this season, winning four of the six events he had entered - including an 18th grand slam title at the Australian Open in January - many pundits and rivals believe Federer is playing some of his best tennis this year.

While Cilic will be contesting his first final at the All England Club, this will be a record 11th appearance for Federer and, less than a month short of his 36th birthday, he is the oldest Wimbledon finalist since Ken Rosewall finished runner-up in 1974 aged 39.

Should he triumph, Federer will become the oldest winner of the Challenge Cup since tennis turned professional in 1968.

"It makes me really happy, making history here at Wimbledon. It's a big deal. I love this tournament," Federer said after another vintage performance dealt with Czech Tomas Berdych in the semi-final.

"All my dreams came true here as a player. To have another chance to go for number eight now, to be kind of so close now at this stage, is a great feeling.

"I am unbelievably excited. I hope I can play one more good match. Eleven finals here, all these records, it's great. But it doesn't give me the title quite yet. That's why I came here this year. I'm so close now, so I have just got to stay focused."

Cilic, the first Croatian to appear in a Wimbledon singles final since Goran Ivanisevic triumphed in 2001, is looking to become the first man from his country to win multiple grand slams.

In seven meetings with the tall Croat, Federer has lost just once - in the semi-final of the 2014 U.S. Open when Cilic went on to win the title.

In last year's Wimbledon quarter-final, Federer needed five sets and saved three match points to get past Cilic and that should give the Croatian some hope.

"I was one point away from winning a match over here against him. Definitely I believe in my own abilities to get through and to win it," the 28-year-old said after beating American Sam Querrey in the semis.

"But I still know that it's a big mountain to climb. Roger is playing maybe some of the best tennis of his career at the moment, having a great season. So I know it's going to be a huge challenge. But I believe I'm ready".</s>Marin Cilic is confident he can build on last year’s heartbreak and prevent Roger Federer from winning a record eighth Wimbledon men’s singles crown when the pair meet in Sunday’s title showdown on Centre Court.

In seven meetings against the tall Croatian, Federer has lost just once, a 2014 U.S. Open semi-final defeat as Cilic went on to claim his maiden grand slam title.

In last year’s quarter-finals at the All England Club, Federer saved three match points before edging out Cilic in five sets and the closeness of that match is comforting for the Croat.

“I was one point away from winning a match over here against him. Definitely, I believe in my own abilities to get through and to win it,” the 28-year-old said.

“But I still know that it’s a big mountain to climb. Roger is playing maybe some of the best tennis of his career at the moment, having a great season. So I know it’s going to be a huge challenge. But I believe I’m ready,” he added.

However, the Swiss, level with Britain’s William Renshaw and American Pete Sampras on a joint record seven Wimbledon titles, enters the final as the clear favourite, having not dropped a set in entire the tournament.

Should he triumph, Federer, who turns 36 next month, will become the oldest winner of the Challenge Cup since tennis turned professional in 1968.

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App</s>With his eighth Wimbledon title, Roger Federer claimed another piece of tennis history Sunday.

Federer beat Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in the men’s final, becoming the only man to win the Wimbledon trophy eight times in his career.

The big-serving Cilic of Croatia struggled through the second set, crying as he sat in his chair with a trainer tending to him. He would return to the court but lost the second set 1-6.

Rafael Nadal holds the men’s record for most titles won at the same Grand Slam, having won his 10th French Open last month.

At 35, Federer is also the oldest man in the Open era to win Wimbledon. It’s the 19th Grand Slam title of his career.

"It makes me really happy, making history here at Wimbledon," Federer said before the final. "It’s a big deal. I love this tournament. All my dreams came true here as a player. To have another chance to go for number eight now ... is a great feeling."

His last Wimbledon title came in 2012.
In tennis, Roger Federer of Switzerland defeats Marin Čilić of Croatia 6–3, 6–1, 6–4 to win the men's singles tournament. Federer wins his eighth Wimbledon singles title, surpassing William Renshaw and Pete Sampras for the most by a male player; becomes the oldest player in the Open Era to win the Wimbledon men's singles; becomes the first player to win the men's singles at Wimbledon without losing a set since Björn Borg in 1976; and extends his Open Era record for Grand Slam men's singles titles to 19.