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Marin Cilic vs Roger Federer highlights: Wimbledon men's final live scores, blog

16th July, 2017
Start time: 11pm (AEST)
Court: Centre
TV: Live, Seven Network
Online: Live, 7 Tennis app
Betting: Federer $1.18, Cilic $5
Overall record: Played 7, Federer 6, Cilic 1
Last meeting: 2017, Miami quarter-finals - Federer defeat Berdych 6-2, 3-6, 7-6

Roger Federer last 10 matches: won 10, lost 0
Marin Cilic last 10 matches: won 9, lost 1
(The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )
Expert
16th July, 2017
223
1565 Reads

Match result:

Roger Federer has broken a swathe of records after claiming his eighth Wimbledon crown at the age of 35 with a 6-3 6-1 6-4 win over Marin Cilic in the final.

» Click here to read the full match report

Roger Federer is the hot favourite to claim an unprecedented 19th grand slam and eighth at Wimbledon, but standing in his way is the powerful Marin Cilic. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the final from 11pm (AEST).

It’s the biggest match of the year bar none, and Federer has won it seven times throughout his glittering career. He is the best player of this generation, probably ever, and Cilic faces one hell of a challenge.

Federer has constructed his 2017 season perfectly. He started with a bang in Australia, winning the first grand slam of the year before playing the U.S. hard court season and doing a great job, winning a number of tournaments.

The former world No.1 then took some time off tennis, skipping the entirety of the brutal clay court season. He returned just in time for the grass court season and apart from a shock first round loss at Stuttgart, he hasn’t lost a match across Halle and Wimbledon.

His form has been so impressive that he hasn’t lost a set at Wimbledon. To put it simply, he has dominated and hasn’t looked under pressure, and with opponents like Grigor Dimitrov, Mischa Zverev and Milos Raonic falling by the wayside, it’s brilliant to say the least.

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The only thing even close to a blemish was a pair of tie-breakers against Tomas Berdych, but then his experience rose to the fore for convincing wins in the semi-final.

Cilic will be the strongest opponent he has faced yet though, given the form of Raonic hasn’t been fantastic. Cilic, in his first Wimbledon final but gunning for a second grand slam title has a similar game plan to Raonic in a lot of ways, relying on a dominating serve and forehand game.

Like Federer, Cilic had a strong run through the grass court season, capping it off with a final at the Queens Club. He went through the first four rounds at Wimbledon without dropping a set as well, his serve thundering opponents off the court.

It took five sets to go past Gilles Muller in the quarter-finals though, although a 6-1 ending was dominant. He also bounced back against Sam Querrey, dropping the first set of the semi-final before going on to record a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 victory.

He is going to need plenty of that cool, calm and collected approach if he is to compete with Federer. There will be plenty of tough moments, and holding serve is imperative.

Last year, the pair met in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, with Federer bouncing back from two sets down to take victory in a stunning turnaround. Federer’s form is miles better this year than it was 12 months ago though.

In total, they have played six times, with Cilic winning only once during the semi-finals of his victorious 2014 U.S. Open campaign.

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Prediction
This is likely to be a classic. Cilic’s serve will keep him in the match, but to overcome Federer he will need to find ways to break. I expect him to find a way though, as he has done bouncing back multiple times throughout the tournament, and like last year’s quarter, this to go the distance.

Federer in five sets.

Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the 2017 Wimbledon final from 11pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.

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