King of grass

It was a day of records for Roger Federer. Not that he had been craving for something extraordinary, but what came his way at the end of the Wimbledon final against a struggling and injured first-time finalist Marin Cilic gave the Swiss maestro his record-breaking eighth title at the All England Club. In the process the feat also catapulted the 35-year-old to a record 19th Grand Slam title. For sure, Federer will cherish this latest Slam more than any of the 18 he won since his maiden crown in the 2003 Wimbledon final. rThe very reason that Federer, who was unstoppable on grass between 2003 and 2007, after going through a a five-year drought of having been unable to win a Grand Slam on grass since his 2012 title in England, could have been the most testing phase of his illustrious career. rIn hindsight, it was the Australian Open victory over Rafael Nadal earlier in January that once again opened the door of hope for Federer to announce his arrival as a serious challenger for a major title. rNot only did Federer have to battle loss of form since his 2012 triumph but also had to contend with the rising prowess of two other world beaters in Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who swept everything that challenged them since Federer’s reign at the top had started to wane.rThis season has so far belonged to the Federer of the old. Much looser on the court, his hitting was laced with greater certainty. This had been evident since beating Nadal in an epic five-setter at Melbourne at the start of the year. rFederer then skipped the entire clay season to get set himself perfectly for the Wimbledon as grass had always been his forte. He had warmed up for London showdown with a title win in Halle and by then the veteran star had looked fresh and ready to launch himself. rFederer became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1974 to win Wimbledon without dropping a set -- something that he hadn’t done even at the height of his success at the grass-court Grand Slam. Maybe this triumph will unfold a new chapter for Federer in the coming months as he aims for Slam No. 20 as the US Open beckons in a month’s time. rThis champion player has nothing more to prove and has shown the world once again that form is temporary while class is permanent. Let us see how this legend holds on to his wits with age catching up on him.