By:
EBC Sports International, New York Bureau
Tennie Sumague
Joanne Blanco Soriano
Carlo Valdez
LONDON,ENGLAND- Age is definitely nothing but a number at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships at the All-England Club.
At 35 and a father of four, Roger Federer marches on to his 11th Wimbledon Final after easily defeating Tomas Berdych 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 Friday afternoon. Federer has yet to drop a set at the tournament and is seeking to make history on Sunday by becoming the oldest man to win the tournament and the only man to claim eight Wimbledon titles.
“It’s a big deal. I love this tournament. All my dreams came true here as a player. To have another chance to go for number eight now, be kind of close now at this stage, is a great feeling,” said a rejuvenated Federer, who won the Australian Open earlier this year.
“Yeah, unbelievably excited. I hope I can play one more good match. Eleven finals here, all these records here, it’s great. But it doesn’t give me the title quite yet. That’s why I came here this year. I’m so close right now, so I just got to stay focused,” he added.
Federer’s opponent in the final will be 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who came from behind to beat American Sam Querrey 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 to move on to his first Wimbledon final.
Another champion is also seeking to make history at the Ladies’ final on Saturday. Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is looking to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam title at the age of 37.
She made the Australian Open finals earlier this year, defeated by her younger and now pregnant sister, Serena. Beforehand, Venus has not made the finals of any major since 2009 battling injuries and health issues such as Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder.
“If Venus wins [Wimbledon], I think this one might mean more to her than any other one because of everyone writing her off, no one thinking she could ever continue to play the level that she wanted to play,” her coach, David Witt said.
Venus will play Garbine Muguruza, who was a Wimbledon finalist two years ago and won the 2016 French Open against Serena.
“Knocking on the door for a title, this is where I want to be, so I’m definitely excited,” Venus said. “But it’s like, you know there’s still more to happen. I’m still very focused.”
The world awaits on Saturday and Sunday to see if age plays a factor in making Wimbledon history.