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Twenty Grand Slam titles has an especially pretty ring to it.

Nineteen? Impressive. Wonderful. Superlative, even. Roger Federer had a men’s-record 19 major trophies after winning Wimbledon last year, a tally that put him well clear of the second-placed Rafael Nadal and cemented his widely-accepted status as the Greatest Of All Time.

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But 20? That’s huge. Almost mystical. Very few players have traversed such territory. The way the crowd reacted, during the trophy presentation after Federer defeated Marin Cilic in the Australian Open 2018 men’s singles final and the stat was announced, spoke to the magnitude of the feat.

Federer reacted too, breaking down in tears at the conclusion of his speech. Hearing “20 Grand Slam titles” must have been overwhelming.

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But, in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter how many major singles trophies Federer has collected. What matters is that he’s still collecting them.

In August this year, the Swiss will celebrate his 37th birthday. And he has won three of the past five Grand Slam tournaments staged.

Only Australia’s Ken Rosewall can say, like Federer, that he won multiple Grand Slam titles beyond the age of 35. Like Federer, he won three, but they were spaced out over three years, not condensed into a glittering 12-month stretch. And two of them, at the 1971 and 1972 Australian Opens, came at editions with downsized 48-player draws filled largely with local players.
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Federer’s level of success is unprecedented.

Prior to 2017, it would have been considered almost impossible. Before he triumphed at the Australian Open las year, Federer endured a four-and-a-half year stretch without a major title. His last success had come at Wimbledon 2012; a few months later, in October, was the last time he was ranked No.1.

In the ensuing period, through the end of 2016, Federer’s claim to the GOAT throne was under siege. He was increasingly overshadowed by other players – primarily by Novak Djokovic, who stopped him in three major finals across 2014 and 2015, and also in the Australian Open 2016 semifinals.

With Nadal continuing to rack up Roland Garros titles, both he and Djokovic were catching Federer on the list of Grand Slam titles won while simultaneously improving their head-to-head records against the Swiss. In that four-and-a-half year period following Wimbledon 2012, he went a collective 8-17 against the Spaniard and the Serb.

Which is what made his 2017 renaissance all the more extraordinary. You’re not supposed to get better at age 36. Athletes at that age are supposed to be tailing off, physically and mentally, into retirement.

But Federer’s victory in last year’s final, against nemesis Nadal, from 3-1 down in the fifth set, quite literally changed everything.

As Jon Wertheim noted at the time for Sports Illustrated: “The fifth set of the Federer/Nadal 2017 Australian Open—a 42-minute interregnum—will have consequences on tennis history that will echo for decades.”

Added Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone, speaking to Wertheim on the Beyond The Baseline podcast: “When Roger all of a sudden at 3-1 (down) in the fifth is able to play 20 minutes of spectacular tennis and basically hit Rafa off the court, that is an awakening. And I think we’ve seen a little bit of the trickle-down effect.”
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That trickle-down effect has persisted ever since. Suddenly, Federer was playing freely against his rival, winning their subsequent encounters in Indian Wells, Miami and Shanghai – all in straight sets. The head-to-head, which Federer once woefully trailed 10-23, has become a far-more respectable 15-23.

And with Djokovic faltering and without a major trophy for almost two years, Federer has pushed well ahead of both him and Nadal on that “major titles won” list.

With his latest Grand Slam triumph at Australian Open 2018, Federer has well and truly cemented his GOAT credentials.

So what’s left to achieve when you’ve already scaled the summit?

Aim higher. As Leigh Walsh observed in the AO Live Blog: “Maybe I’m reading too much in this but who doesn’t love a sign? As Federer meandered down the walk of champions as he exited Rod Laver Arena, he gave a little tap to the pillar which Steffi Graf hangs from. Maybe a little suggestion of ... “I’m coming for your 22 (Grand Slam titles)?”

Why not? After all, 22 sounds even prettier than 20.

Cilic shows class in defeat
TENNIS
Marin Cilic found it difficult to adapt to conditions for Australian Open final when roof was closed
LEO SCHLINK, Herald Sun
January 28, 2018 2:37pm
MARIN Cilic has revealed he was taken by surprise by the Australian Open’s decision to close the roof for the men’s final — a move condemned by former grand slam champions such as Pat Cash.

Determined not to apportion blame for a harrowing five-set loss to Roger Federer to the changed conditions, Cilic said it was “very difficult” to adapt.

“Throughout the tournament I played all my matches outdoors, also preparing a hot day, 38 degrees.” he said.

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“Then first match for the final to play with the roof closed, it’s difficult.

“I have to say that decision could it have been different.

“I think that it was just little bit difficult to adjust, especially the beginning of the match. With the roof closed, it was way, way cooler than I expected.

“That was very, very difficult, especially for the final to, you know, be in that kind of a situation.”

Cilic claimed officials didn’t ask him for his views on whether the final should be decided indoors despite the Open being an outdoor event.


Marin Cilic said adapting to the conditions was difficult when tournament officials decided to close the roof. Picture: Getty
“Well, no, they didn’t ask me. They just came to me to tell me that they are thinking about decision, and they going to make the final decision just around 7pm, just slightly before the match,” he said.

“I didn’t mind to have roof closed, but it was a huge difference in temperature from having outside 38c, then when you came in, it was like 23, 4, I don’t know. It was way cooler than I expected.”

Cilic struggled with timing issues from the start as Federer, one of the most efficient players indoors in the history of the game, threatened to bolt.

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“Just looking at my own side, I didn’t feel those conditions before,” Cilic said.

“I had a slow start in the match, losing straightaway my two service games, then catching up most of the time ... I’m saying it was very different than what we’ve played outdoor.

“But looking overall, I’m really pleased with the performance. Played great tennis over these two weeks.

“I had tough matches, tough opponents, beating Rafa (Nadal), reaching here a final, which is definitely amazing. Looking at my own game, I think I improved a lot.