Roger Federer can write history again on Sunday. With a win in the Australian Open finals on Sunday against Marin Cilic, the superstar would be celebrating his 20th birthday. Grand Slam title. The Croatian met Federer Maldives about two weeks ago by chance on holiday in the Maldives.
From Ulrike Weinrich from Melbourne
Before the long walk through the “Walk of Champions” to the Centre Court of the Rod Laver Arena, Roger Federer will probably have a special holiday feeling on Sunday evening. At least if he looks towards his Croatian opponent before the final (19.30 local time / 9.30 CET). It’s only been about two months since Marin Cilic and his fiancée Kristina Milkovic spent relaxing days in the Maldives.
Also on the picturesque island in the Indian Ocean: Federer and his extended family “At first we didn’t want to disturb each other. Then Marin sent a text message after two days and said that we could meet,”said the maestro:”I wrote back, sure, let me know if you want to hit balls. I wanted to keep my game rhythm a little bit.”
Federer and Cilic played twice 45 minutes. Just as relaxed as holidaymakers – without coaches, without pressure:”That was funny”, the Swiss said. We had a few drinks together, and I met Marin’s fiancée:”They ate cake, laughed and had fun together:” That’s how I got to know the person behind the player a little better,”said titleholder Federer after his final move into the Happy Slam.
Surprise semi-finalist Hyeon Chung had to give up the match at a score of 6-1,5-2 for the 19-time Major Record Champion because of a huge bladder under his foot. The South Korean had previously eliminated Alexander Zverev (Hamburg) and record winner Novak Djokovic from Serbia in fourth place.
For the sixth time in his unparalleled career, Federer reached a Grand Slam final without losing a set:”Things have to go okay if I haven’t lost a single set in this phase of the tournament,”said the world rankings runner-up before the last act of his “Mission 20″:”So far everything’s going great. I hope I still have a good match in me.”
If that’s the case, the magic number will soon be in Roger Federer’s already proppevollen letterhead. And 15 years after his first major win back in Wimbledon,”I never thought it could be 20,”said the 36-year-old,”that’s an unimaginable figure. It now appears to be near, but still far away, because there is still a match to be played,” and this against the holiday encounter of last November.
The 1.98 metre tall Cilic was Federer’s final opponent at his last Grand Slam coup in Wimbledon in July 2017. At that time the Croatian was suffering from a bladder on his foot and finished the game with tears. FedExpress” thus triumphed for the eighth time in lawn Mecca – and won a major trophy for the second time after the Australian Open 2007 with a flawless score of 21:0 sets.
Federer has won eight out of nine duels with the current number six in the world, but the one defeat is still hard to remember. In the semi-final of the US Open 2014, Cilic “destroyed” him at the 3:6,4:6,4:6,4:6, as the Swiss said in Melbourne,”Marin has the power and faith to win big titles. He doesn’t just go on the court to be there,”said Federer about the 29-year-old resident of Monte Carlo.
Cilic, called “Chila” by his friends and a folk hero since his New York prank three and a half years ago, remembers with mixed feelings the last encounter with the probably most famous Swiss on Grand Slam level:”On the one hand, the final of Wimbledon was of course a great experience, but on the other hand it wasn’t,”he explained. Nevertheless, he does not see the upcoming duel with Federer as a “revenge”.
On the way to his third big final, Cilic stood on the court for a total of 6:13 hours longer than his seven-year-old Sunday opponent. In the semi-finals, he had left the British Kyle Edmund 6:2,7:6 (7:4), 6:2, but he didn’t give him much of a chance:”Holiday acquaintance” Federer believes he knows the secret of Fedlic’s success at the Happy Slam 2018 “The joint training in the tropics has helped us into the final,” he said, smiling.