ROGER FEDERER POWERED home to beat Marin Cilic in five sets to win his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title in a riveting final on Sunday.
The Swiss defending champion dropped his only sets of the tournament before completing a 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over the sixth seeded Croatian in 3hr 3min.
Federer, playing in his 30th Grand Slam final, joined Novak Djokovic and Australian great Roy Emerson as joint top for the most Australian Open men’s titles.
He added to his already imposing win-loss record in Melbourne and is now 94-13. His overall his Grand Slam mark stands at 332-52.
The roof was closed over Rod Laver Arena as the tournament’s heat policy was implemented amid evening temperatures of 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).
Cilic’s serve came under immediate pressure with a whipping backhand return winner for break point which the Croatian followed with a smash into the net for a break in the opening game.
The Croat was finding it difficult to settle and changed racquets in his second service game, but it had no obvious benefit as he dropped serve again after three break points to trail 0-3.
He finally held serve to get on to the board and trail 4-1 with Federer hitting the ball cleanly.
The Swiss star served out the first set in just 24 minutes after a double break and a shaky Cilic opening.
Federer fought off two break points in his opening service in the second set with pinpoint serves, while Cilic had a tussle before holding in the third game.
Cilic worked his way back into the match as both players traded furious forehands to stay on serve.
Cilic was break point down in the ninth, but crucially got out of it with a second serve ace down the middle followed by a forehand winner.
The Croat had a big moment in the 10th game when two Federer double faults gave him set point but a tentative backhand into the net and a wild backhand cost him his chance.
In the tiebreaker, Cilic got to two set points when his forehand clipped the line before a winning smash levelled the match after 84 minutes as Federer dropped his first set of the tournament.
But Cilic lost serve on the back of a couple of ground stroke errors and Federer raced 4-2 up in the third set.
The defending champion shifted gears with a stunning forehand off his toes and confidently held serve to lead 5-2.
Federer closed the door, serving out clinically for the third set in 29 minutes.
Cilic was then broken in the opening game of the fourth set with a poor backhand dropshot into the net as Federer closed in for the kill.
But the Croat broke back in the sixth game with three break points when Federer netted and fought off a break point in the next game to put his nose in front.
Cilic was now more in the flow and broke Federer again with his big forehands starting to find their mark. He served it out to take the absorbing final into a fifth set.
Federer was under pressure to keep his opening service but produced quality backhands to hold on amid mounting tension.
The world No.2 crucially broke to 2-0 when Cilic netted a forehand and held the next service game under pressure to lead 3-0.
Federer got the vital double break when Cilic netted a forehand, leaving the Swiss to serve out for the championship.
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The greatest athlete and sportsman of my lifetime even if tennis is not your game
@Brocky Jennings: Woods, Messi, Federer, Bolt, Phelps, Kobe (and LeBron), Mayweather. All the true greats of the past 20 years or so. Federer probably the best of them all.
@Brian: You forgot Breen.
@Brian: Tom Brady, Schumacher, The All Blacks, Kilkenny in the 00′s, Dublin in the 10′s, Phil Taylor. An incredible era for sport
@Brian: How many of the are on Drugs?
@Ciarán: ehhhh… yeah
@Clay Davis: you were doing ok till you mentioned Phil Taylor. Sorry, personally I wouldn’t call him an athlete.
Don’t forget the rocket Ronnie o sullivan.
@Ardmore02: he is a sports star though. A very successful one
@John Doe: he is without doubt the greatest darts player ever and like him or not you have to have respect for his achievements, but again a personal opinion, I would not call him an athlete nor a sports star.
@Ardmore02: I did have him in brackets with a asterisk over his name but I thought I’d give him a mention for being a 16 time world champion.
@Brian: and would you not put Wiggins and Froome in that group. Haha
Best thing about this guy is that the talent shines above everything else. We believe he is not on PEDs because he relies on his technique, precision, timing and efficiency rather than brute force and speed.
@Fergal O Lachtnain: that sums him up brilliantly
A true gent to go with the greatest tennis player of all time . Delighted for him !
No words can justify this achievement!! An absolute legend!!!
Very Emotional GOAT!!!!
Fantastic athlete!
@John McCabe: Emotional goat? I’ve heard on an emotional fish but never an emotional goat :-) Seriously though, Federer is a legend of tennis and the fact that he has remained on top for so long is testament to his dedication, physical and mental strength and strength of character. Watched the 3rd, 4th & 5th sets today and he celebrated his 20th Grand Slam title the same as of it was his first. A sporting legend. Long may he continue.
Best athlete of all time.
Give him a hurl and see what he’d be like in corner forward
@COYBIG: He’d be the GOAT there too, wouldn’t even sink into a boggy pitch or anything.
Beating Cilic by 5 sets is just showing off.
Biggest dreamboat in world sport.
Absolute legend 20 grand slam titles will probably never be beaten,brilliant winner and a gracious loser…thrilled for him and his family,The fact he’s a gentleman also is probably why he is so liked worldwide.
Probably the most gracefull athlete sport will ever witness. His backhand looked eclipsed by Gasquet and Wawrinka over the past few years but he has unbelievably honed it to a point where its lethality cannot be compared. And thats not even mentioning his serve and forehand.
He doesnt have the unbridled power of Del Potro or Gonzalez but everything else, from his slice to his defence are all a 10. His talent is one thing but he has also worked hard to keep his body at a point where even at 35 he is shaming younger faster players.
God help the Tennis world when he retires.
I wonder will Rory be sending Caroline congratulations and perhaps flowers? God he messed up on this one, but then again, a common trait.
@Joseph Dempsey: What’s that got to do with Federer’s win?
@Joseph Dempsey: what in God’s name are you talking about ?
What about Phil Taylor’s achievements
@Brendan Murphy: phil Taylor is great at what he does but a lot more dedication and talent involved in tennis than there is in darts .