Roger Federer became 19-time Grand Slam champion after beating Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday – but history hasn’t always been on his side.
The tennis legend hit a lull after winning the Wimbledon title in 2012. He went on to lose three Grand Slam finals – Wimbledon in 2014 and 2015, and US Open in 2015 to Novak Djokovic.
In 2016, he injured himself while trying to bathe his children and was forced to miss the French Open. After a semi-finals exit at the Wimbledon that year, Federer took the decision to take the rest of the year off. He skipped big tournaments such as the US Open and Rio Olympics.
He returned to the circuit at the Australian Open this year where he beat his old rival Rafael Nadal in the final. With an eye on the “remainder of the season”, Federer decided to skip the French open so he could concentrate on the grass and hard-court seasons.
He returned to his favourite Wimbledon for the 19th time without dropping a single set till the final, where he beat Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 to win a record eighth title. Federer surpassed Pete Sampras and William Renshaw’s record of seven titles. He also became the oldest winner in the Open Era to win at the All England Club.
With this win, Federer has taken his win/loss record to 31-2 with a tour-leading five titles this year.
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
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