On this day: Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic to win the 2018 Australian Open and his 20th Grand Slam title
On January 28, 2018, Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in the final of the Australian Open to win his 20th Grand Slam title. In doing so, he extended his lead over rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who had 16 and 12 Grand Slam titles respectively.
The Swiss was the defending champion in Melbourne and made his way to the title round without dropping a set. In the final, he got the better of the 2014 US Open champion in a tough five-set match, winning 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Although the Swiss hit fewer winners than Cilic, he was more consistent with his serve, winning 67 of 84 first-service points and 32 from 55 on his second. He also managed 24 aces compared to 16 from his opponent, which ensured he remained in contention despite strong resistance from the Croatian. Federer sealed the title at the three-hour mark after a strong finish, winning 12 of the last 13 points.
On this day in 2018, Roger Federer beat Marin Cilic in five sets at the #AusOpen to win his 20th and so far last Grand Slam title https://t.co/Tn9UbWGjha
After undergoing knee surgery in the second half of 2016, many had written off Federer's chances at success in Major tournaments. But he made a successful comeback in 2017, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon along with five other titles, including three Masters 1000 events.
The 2017 season was his best in almost a decade. He won the most titles in a year since 2007 and had his highest win percentage since 2006.
The Swiss ace continued to taste success in 2018 as well, winning the aforementioned Grand Slam in Melbourne along with three more titles. He ascended to the top of the rankings in February 2018 for the first time since November 2012, becoming the oldest player to hold the top spot in history. He also extended his record for most weeks as World No. 1 to 310.
He hasn't won another Grand Slam title since his 2018 triumph in Australia, but came agonizingly close at Wimbledon in 2019. After defeating Nadal in the semifinals, Federer set up a showdown with Djokovic for the title.
The Swiss held two championship points while on serve at 8-7 in the deciding set, but failed to close out the proceedings as his opponent went on to win the title.
Roger Federer back in training after knee surgery: Reports
Federer hasn't reached another Grand Slam final since the loss at Wimbledon. His best performance has been a semifinal appearance at the 2020 Australian Open.
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His two chief rivals have now caught up in the Slam race, with the Big 3 currently tied on 20 Majors each. Nadal has an opportunity to end the deadlock after reaching the final of the 2022 Australian Open on Friday. The Spaniard will square off against either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev for the crown.
Meanwhile, the Swiss is eyeing another comeback. After injuring himself at last year's Wimbledon, he underwent yet another knee surgery. He skipped the season's first Grand Slam and revealed his chances of competing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships were slim.
But reports have surfaced that the 40-year old has resumed training, giving hope to his fans that he'll be back in action sooner rather than later. The tennis community at large has been praying for his speedy and successful recovery, as the sport certainly isn't the same without him.