Men's Final Build-Up Wimbledon

For 140 years, this place has been synonymous with excellence, quality,

history. Today, two men hope to write the latest chapter in that

history. Like Spain's Garbine Muguruza yesterday, Croat Marin

Cilic looks to be only the second player from his country to win here

in singles. Eyeballing him across the net, arguably the greatest

player ever to pick up a racket. Switzerland's Roger Federer has more

than a win on his mind. For him, it is a date with destiny. It is time

for the 2017 Wimbledon Men's Singles final. This is a national programme,

now we are going to take you over to Wimbledon...

String, simple, everyday... Ordinarily, but in tennis like

music... It facilitates extraordinary things. Like an

overhead cable... It transfers power. Electricity. Like a nerve

impulses, tension... Pressure... Release. Like a vein, it carries

lifeblood to the heart of the game. String is the concept that ties the

to the present... And the future. 1889 and Britain's William Renshaw

wins his seventh Wimbledon title. In 2000 the American Pete Sampras wins

his seventh Wimbledon title. 2012, Roger Federer of Switzerland wins

his seventh Wimbledon title. This trio entwined by shared history.

Stretch the timeline to today, and just one has the chance to break the

tie. But it's a fine line, for standing in his way is former US

Open champion Marin Cilic. Hoping to strike his own accord. But with 18

Grand Slam titles and counting... Who would bet against the greatest

of all time? Becoming the greatest of all time here.

COMMENTATOR: That is extraordinary! Pure genius. Brilliant! I love that.

Arguably the greatest champion of all time.

Roger Federer is the man who more than any other knows how to break

the tape of the finish. SUE BARKER: the number is eight, the

sign infinity, and today Roger Federer is a victory away from

creating a record that could last for ever. Nobody in the 140 year

history of the Men's Singles championships here has ever won

eight titles. Today in his 11th Wimbledon singles final, he's aiming

for major title number 19. Phenomenal, fabulous, fantastic -

that is Roger Federer. This year, he has already won the Australian Open

title and a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday he's aiming to become

the oldest man in the modern era to win here. Over the past 13 days he's

rolled back the years and not even dropped a set on the way to today's

showdown. As for Cilic, he has been impressive on his way to a second

Grand Slam final. He beat Federer on his way to winning the US Open in

2014 and held match points against him here last year. He has the game

for grass, is serve is fast and Federer will fear him. He is not

without a chance by any means today. And this is what they are playing

for, the challenge cup. It's made of silvergilt, 18 inches high and its

value is priceless. As for the matter of prize-money, the winner

will walk away with ?2.2 million. And so for the record, in draw

order, it is seventh seed Cilic versus third seed Federer. The men's

final is the feature much on this final day but following it there's a

cracking Mixed Doubles final that includes a Battle of Britain as

number one seed Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis face the defending

champions, Kontinen and Watson. Hello and welcome to one of the

great days of the sporting year. It is the men's final at Wimbledon and

in this 90th year of the BBC celebrating covering the

Championships, we could be in for a record-breaking ones if Roger

Federer makes it an eighth title. It is packed here at Wimbledon, we have

made it to the top of the hill. We are amongst the fans with Andrew

Castle and Boris Becker. Boris, well done to you, Pat Cash and John

McEnroe. What a performance that was! There is a potential new career

for me, Pat and John. I'm not sure about the singing part but I'm glad

everybody liked it. It's about numbers, we think of Andy Murray

with 77 years on the 7th of July and all of that, then suddenly it is the

eighth for Roger Federer, is it his year? To play Roger Federer at

Wimbledon, for Marin Cilic to play somebody, I mean you know about

these records. Federer has a presence here, finals day feels

different, it is a whole different ball game and Federer brings

presents which Cilic will feel on Centre Court today so he goes in

heavily favoured to win once again. And he's just hitting the ball so

unbelievably well. If Cilic plays out of his mind, he can win. If you

have noticed he has been nervous couple of times, maybe the weight of

history. It has been merely a long fight for him to be in that position

again, for him to win this year is one of the biggest comebacks I have

ever seen in tennis but the whole plan was last year taking time off

to be in your best shape at this year's Wimbledon because this

tournament means more than anything on the calendar. He's in the

position but he's human, he has a heart even though we don't see it

sometimes. He's such a genius we forget there is a heart beating

underneath and he understands today is a moment of history and he can

rewrite it. There is Federer on the practice court. He just makes the

game look so easy, doesn't he? It's almost as much fun watching him

practice as it is watching him play. It is so easy, he moves the racket

like a magic wand. Whatever shot he wants to play, he has. As Boris was

saying, that lovely mix between fitness and freshness and he is so

fresh that every time he picks up a racket now he wants to play. Taking

six month off, then winning the Australian was ridiculous, taking

the entire clay court season and then coming here not losing a set is

equally ridiculous. He says he feels great and he's confident and why

not. He looks so relaxed. Marin Cilic is a danger man, isn't he?

Very much so. Cilic had him on the brink of defeat before, both players

will remember that walking out on the court that the last time they

met here it was very close. Cilic has the full package on grass. He's

six foot six but yet he has the movement. He doesn't mind coming

into the net so he has the game to herd is Roger Federer. And a big

wingspan as well. Yunus Bjorkman is a big deal today, he's the coach to

Marin Cilic. He wants the transition game for Marin coming forward. He

wants him to get the first hit in, to bring the big forehand into play,

that's how he finished his semifinal. But the key thing about

Bjorkman is the possibility that the Swede brings to his game. Don't

guided, hit it. He can blow Federer off the court today. He wants him to

be more intimidating on court, that's important when you want to be

a champion. If you show one ounce of fear, the other guy will take

advantage of it. Roger Federer was in this position 11 times so he

knows everything there is to know what it feels like to walk on the

Centre Court and win it. That has been the weakness in Cilic's game

that he didn't always believe he can. He has to bring the glass is

half full mentality. In the final everyone sees what you are going

through. Nervous already! We will continue our build-up over the next

45 minutes. Here is what's coming up. He's been playing here for two

decades, Roger reveals his love for the early days. Where will today's

match be won and lost? Pat Cash looks at both players' games. Can

Marin match Goran Ivanisevic's victory? And can heap at the eight

integrate? Roger Federer talks about his bid for history. So all of that

coming up as we build up to the final but Andy, just a comment

because we were watching on the big screen the wheelchair final. Yes,

backing up the defence of the title for Gordon Reid and Hewitt now as

well. The federation deserves a lot of credit the continuing to fund

this so great news. Talk about competitive, you should see it out

there, they were falling out of the chairs. They are so impressive in

the way they play, and they have combine so well over

the years. Yes, Jordanne Whiley has broken so many bones. It is sport at

the highest level. Following on from Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewitt

yesterday. OK, let's start our build-up now because we will start

by looking back at the story of the men's championship, and it really

has been a numbers game. For 2017 at SW19 reducing 128 of the

regal one was the quest. The fabulous four were back on stage

ready to reprise their greatest hits. The champion was limping into

the tournament but this was no lame title defence through weak number

one. Novak Djokovic was looking close to his best, Roger Federer was

redefining imperious, Rafael Nadal was rattling through exciting fans

on court and in-store. 999 might have been the first round call for

the record equalling list of injured dropouts. The Centre Court emergency

on day one. This last Wawrinka, 39 unforced errors in defeat. The

number five seed out. The smaller upset saw John is never beaten. One

win for trial Edmund and two for Bedene went on to marry -- meant

Andy Murray was not a British work in isolation. Sorry didn't seem to

be the hardest word. Dominic Thiem led the next generation into week

number two followed by Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov. Only one dropped

set between them in the fourth round, but then Thiem fell to Tomas

Berdych. Rafael Nadal fought back against Muller, and after four hours

and 47 minutes clinching the win of his life. The fabulous four no more

and soon just one remained. Andy Murray led Sam Querrey 2-1 in the

quarterfinals only for his hip to betray him. The top seed and

reigning champion gone and so too the number two, Novak Djokovic

elbowed out of Wimbledon in his match against Tomas Berdych. Federer

avenged the last year's loss to Raonic. Tomas Berdych battles but

eventually bowed to greatness. One must opponent to conquer for the

Swiss master, Marin Cilic, baby Goran all grown up. He squashed Sam

Querrey's dream in the semis. Only two remain but one is the magic

number because only one can wear the crown.

SUE BARKER: and we will find out at the end of the afternoon but Doris,

how do you look back at this year's championships? So many stories

there. It was always about the big four. The legend is in the final and

I think history will prevail. And for you, Andy? The first week, there

were some guys on the court who shouldn't have been and Wimbledon

have to look at that. When the whole thing got going it was amazing. It's

always a shame to lose Rafael Nadal but Muller was marvellous. In

amongst all the trees you have this beautiful tennis player called Roger

Federer. Another of the talking point has been the condition of the

courts with a lot of players criticising them so how is Centre

Court prepared for today and how will it stack up after two weeks of

wear and tear? We have been speaking to the head groundsman.

Can you tell us how preparations have gone for Centre Court ahead of

the final? It has gone very well. The Men's Doubles went longer than

anticipated but that is the beauty of tennis. The roof was on, once we

got the court prepared afterwards the guys were out by 11:30pm, back

in this morning and everything is ready to go. A few of the big names

have been critical about the courts this year, what do you say to them?

It is a living surface, it is a plant we are playing on.

Year-on-year the weather will play a big part. This year we have had the

second hottest June in history, only surpassed by 1976, so going into the

Championships when we are drying the court down, the plant stresses out

because we are not giving it the water it needs, to get the firmness

for the court. But the data tells us the grass density, the relative ball

bounce our role within the range we are looking for. Therefore perhaps

visit down to the players? Sometimes it can be aesthetic. The grass has

been sunburnt this year because it has been constantly hot so although

the court was playing well it may have looked different and that's one

of the reasons they might be saying it. Neil, thank you for your time.

It has been a big talking point, hasn't it? Andy, what did you make

of it? All of the courts are playing like they have been baked, which is

exactly what Neil was talking about. Someone loves you, Sue, that's nice!

Has my husband arrived? This is alive court, it is a growing thing

and the fact it changes over time is wonderful. This year it happened to

be fast and hard and it suits Marin Cilic very much. It's also high

bouncing. Boris, you have played in the final after two weeks of wear

and tear so it's often a bit cut up. We had a heat wave believe it or

not, the whole month of June was hotter than normal. Having said

that, players will use and abuse the court but it is still good enough to

play perfect tennis. No matter what the condition of the court is you

certainly need a plan to win the slam so we have asked Pat Cash to

look at the key areas where this match may be won.

30 years ago it was me who was walking out on the terrace Centre

Court for my first Wimbledon final taking on one of the greatest

players of all time. -- walking out onto the Centre Court.

This time it is Marin Cilic's turn. It turned out all right for me in

the end but will it be the same for Marin? While his service his

greatest strength, it is the return is making the difference at this

year's Wimbledon. He is giving himself more time when returning

service compared to last year. In particular on the second serve

return he has varied his position significantly. By giving himself

more time, Cilic can be more aggressive with his returns,

illustrated by his average return speeds which are considerably higher

than Roger's. But playing Roger Federer is a different ball game

compared to what is Marin Cilic has faced so far. When it comes to

serving statistics, Roger's are better than anyone. When he is

serving to the second court, it has been the slice down the middle that

has been most effective but only marginally. The server down the

middle on the first court has really made the difference. He has won 93%

of the points when he's gone there throughout the tournament so what

will give her Johan Cruyff his best chance of victory? He has got to

forget what the occasion is all about. He's got to keep serving and

returning as he has been, and especially on his forehand side he

has to keep going for those winners. That is easier said than done and

handling the pressure has not always been one of his strengths. Look at

the three match points he had against Federer last year. Look at

those backhand misses he had in the first set tie-breaker against

Querrey. He needs to believe in his all-round strength. His volleying is

better than he believes it is and I feel he could use it more here. He

needs to volley with confidence in this final. Much has been made about

Roger's age but he will be coming to the final the fresher of the two.

Cilic has been on court four and a half hours longer than his opponent

in this Championships. Very interesting. Interesting about

the service statistics, Roger is the best one. Yes, and not because of

the power but the effectiveness he gets it through the placement.

What's interesting was the middle line is always the one you are

aiming for because on the deuce side you can aim the ball so it is flying

outside of the court and hitting the line at the last moment, and on the

outside it takes it away from the returner. I think those are the

reasons Roger has been so strong. As we saw last year, Cilic 2-0 up and

three match points against Roger. And he has beaten him in the US Open

in 2014, that was a big match as well. These are the points that if

he had won he would have taken it. He has been very close before. The

talk in the locker room has been Cilic and his form. The talk is when

he beat Bautista Agut, his form is certainly good enough to beat

Federer and win this. As it turns out this is the last time Roger

Federer came back from two sets down a year ago. Roger has already said

he knows he is in for a battle today. Both players respect each

other a lot. In Roger Federer's case he hasn't lost to too many but he

lost to Cilic. The question is always Wimbledon final, who is meant

to win? There are little differences. A couple of points, the

physicality of it, but both men will run as long as their legs carry

them. What happens after the match doesn't matter. It is all about

today, I think who can cope with the pressure most. So much is at stake.

We will find out and move closer to Centre Court to save the atmosphere.

Boris, I will see you there later. Andrew, you are preparing for your

15th. It is such an honour. And you are number? 25. It is men's finals

day and so many great former champions are here, and Phil Jones

caught up with a Wimbledon legend, the much respected Rod Laver, who

was a big fan of Roger. Just unbelievable to think that Roger has

a career so long having won 18 Grand Slams, at his age, but he loves the

sport. I saw him down in Melbourne winning the Australian, and he

played so beautifully. His concentration, everything was

unbelievable. I think Roger has my vote as being the best player in the

world. Today's match will be a tough one as I see it, Cilic has good

serving ability and heavy ground strokes which generally, once Roger

gets into the play, he dictates a little bit. Can he dictate with

these heavy ground strokes? That to me is a difficult one. What about

Roger the man? You know him well. He seems to be adored worldwide and

that is rare in sport. He is the most favoured athlete in the world.

Everybody likes him and I think that is the one area that puts him apart.

He doesn't feel that he has to live up to this reputation, he's just

Roger. This year he changed his attitude and his lifestyle so that

he had three months off before the Australian. He didn't play the

European circuit so I think he's thinking how long can this keep for

me? Myself, I think he's playing almost as well as he did in 2007,

2008 when he won here all the time so from that level, he is sort of

superhuman. Lovely to see the great man here.

Roger is not only loved by Rod, he is loved by so many and it's almost

20 years since he first played here. Before Wimbledon began, I caught up

with him about those early days. Take me back to those junior days.

You grew up watching Wimbledon, what was your first impression of the

club? Just so happy to be there. Great moment walking through the

gates and asking where is the locker room and where can we warm up, what

are we allowed to do, when do we play, what's the routines and all of

these things. Everything was so new and it's like living a dream world.

Do you remember your first match? Yes, it was between Court One and

Centre Court, one of the upper courts there. I played I think the

German or and Austrian, another junior, and I was so nervous but won

the match quite comfortably thankfully. I read that you thought

the net was not the quite height. That is true, I was so nervous that

after about five games I went to the umpire and asked him, can you please

check the net? I have a feeling it is way too high because I cannot

serve and it felt odd the whole thing. He was like I checked it

before the match, we always do here at Wimbledon. I was like, yes, but

do you mind still checking it downstairs and see if it is really

correct. He said I told you so, I was right. I was so nervous it was

terrible. Do you have one match that stands out for you? Yes, I liked the

junior Wimbledon finals because winning or losing the finals was a

big deal, then getting the trophy presented on Centre Court in the

stands in the royal box was very special. Ireland I was very nervous

because they made us wait in the enclosure right behind the royal

box. So I could be in the locker room where Bjorn Borg and John

McEnroe and everybody used to play, so that was cool. I think in the

2000 and a quarter round against Pete Sampras was my special match

that made it all so worthwhile, all of the hard work. Then I realised

how much fun tennis can really be. The week before you are practising,

do you often sneak on Centre Court alone? Not so much, I am not the guy

that tries to visualise what could happen for the next few weeks. Or

look back even? Or look back for that matter. I enjoy sometimes

having a small glance, I love having a small glands at Court Number One

which is easier, you can quickly walk a few steps up and see Court

One and everything is so neatly done at Wimbledon. It is these little

moments wherever you go that bring flashbacks, you know from some

history, for me personally but also from other amazing matches being

played there. Lovely stories from Roger and we

will hear more from hemp in his pursuit of greatness in around 20

minutes time. I am almost at Centre Court to chat to John McEnroe and

Tim Henman. Now we will hear from Rishi Persad who has been talking to

Jonas Bjorkman. Can you give us an idea of how Marin

is feeling about the battle ahead?... He is feeling great. I'm

very pleased with his performance. He played really good high quality

tennis again. He executed well when he needed. How much has he changed

during your spell with him? Have you had a lot to work on Norway you

picking up with things he had worked on with Goran? I do not think I have

done much. He was a great player from the start. We are just a few

things. We have been working to make him a little bit more aggressive. We

have been working on the body language. I think he is coming out,

showing that he is two metres tall, number six in the world, to

intimidate the guys a little bit more. I think that has been very

good. Obviously, the clay-court swing was very important. We had a

really good practice camp before and he had his best clay-court season

ever so he came in with a lot of confidence. And the preparation

heading into Wimbledon was really good I am sure you do not want to

give away too much, but he has had battles with Roger Federer. What

specifically do you need to do to beat the great man?

By far the toughest match you can have in Wimbledon, he knows if there

are any bad bounces and exactly where there are. I think Marin knows

what it takes to win a Grand Slam. Not many have done that in this

great era of true champions. He beat Roger on the way to win his New York

US Open title. He had a big battle here last year, one point away. I

think there are a lot of things you can take with you. Even though he

lost, he knows exactly what to do so I have a good feeling. Thank you,

enjoy the final. Thank you. A very wise coach and he

has certainly made a big difference to Marin Cilic's game. We have made

our way down from Henman Hill to meet the man himself alongside John

McEnroe. Just listening to Jonas Bjorkman, he said he wants them to

be more intimidating on court, to impose himself more. I noticed when

Milos Raonic, who I was coaching last year, and saw him play the

quarterfinal, it appeared that Roger Federer was hitting a bigger ball

than he was. He is four inches taller but it did not feel like he

was serving much harder. I think it is extremely important for Marin to

express himself. I think you gain respect from the fans and people

watching, by showing how badly you want it. People feel like they

understand you a little bit. And then they respect you. It is not

like they will be pulling for Cilic all of a sudden. 90% plus people

will be rooting for Roger. I know what that feels like. A couple of

times I played a guy, it is hard to believe, but there were times when

Bjorn Borg was going for history, he was going for nine in a row. That

was 99% support. I was in the general vicinity! Not too many guys

get booed as you come out. You have to overcome that and embrace it. I

still felt extremely proud that I was out on the same court as him.

That is one way of taking the pressure off. I saw me Raonic

appeared to freeze a little bit in the final last year. I think Marin

Cilic will be helped by the fact he has been there before. Exactly, that

will make a difference. He got to the US Open final and won it. And

who did he beat in the semifinals in New York? That was three straight

sets. He bullied him. He was so aggressive. He served well when he

got the opportunities from the back of the court. He was really looking

to take time away from Roger and I think the reality is, when you talk

about the match today, Roger is not going to lose it, Cilic has got to

win it. Roger's experience in Grand Slam finals of enormous. This is his

11th final here. Cilic has to go out with that correct attitude. The

amazing part for me was he came from match point down against Monfils,

and we thought age was catching up with him because his body did not

seem to be there. Now all of a sudden he is 35, almost 36, and we

are not really talking about... People ask where their days when you

felt you just woke up one day? Yes, there were not many days when I woke

up and felt better. That is what is so amazing. We're not saying this

guy can just get up and he has a lot of tennis and him, he may not be

feeling it. What happened to Venus in the second set yesterday? To

completely went away. Some of that had to be physical. Absolutely.

Let's hear from another former champion. In 2001 Goran Ivanisevic

won that title on that magical Monday up against Pat Rafter. He was

coaching Marin Cilic not long ago. If he wins, Cilic will be the second

Croatian to win the title. Who better to talk about him than Goran

himself? My first memories of playing tennis

were when I was in Germany visiting my cousin Tanya who was two years

older that time, and still is. I met him when he was 14 years old. I

predicted he would be a top ten player in the world and I was right.

Blip from Cilic. That is delightful. Everybody knows about forehand and

backhand that you have to have something special. I call it

something. So he had something. We had huge success in working together

and Goran is a really easy going guy and everything we did was for me to

get better as a player. I had a vision about how he was to play in

the beginning, it was about resistance. In the end he changed

his serve and his way of thinking on the court and became much more

aggressive. It was a great relationship. The US Open in 2014

was a dream country. It was a beautiful moment. In a moment of

euphoria for Federer, a moment to ponder the pain that Marin Cilic

must be feeling right now. It was definitely disappointing. It was one

of those losses where you are thinking you would like to play them

again and rewind. Looking back on that match I felt that I took a lot

of positives out of that match and that helps me to play better, to be

mentally stronger and to feel I am a better player because of that.

Everybody will be for Roger. But if he plays like he is playing at the

moment, if he goes and hits the ball, if he is serving well, the

finals, you know, it is always 50-50. Hopefully people don't see me

more mean. I am still a nice person. I am trying to be more encouraging

towards myself. After every point he is more pumped, more positive than

before. It makes you a better tennis player and you have better results.

That's it! At last, the waiting is over.

Goran made history and filled the hearts of all Croatian people who

were supporting him. I was crazy. When I was supposed to win Wimbledon

I didn't. When I was not supposed to win, I still don't know how I won it

but it doesn't matter. Got it at the 11th time of asking for Marin Cilic.

Opportunity knocks. It will be another dream country. This result

is also writing Croatian history on another amazing day in Croatian

sport. You don't want to lose in the final, trust me. You get a nice

looking plate but it is a huge difference. I lost three times in

the final and nobody cares. When you win a tournament, I think the whole

world knows. And emotional Goran there. Liberty

wants the plate. You are only remembered if you win there. First,

you want to get it. There is no question that he won when he

shouldn't have won and he may be lost when he should have won. He has

been through every aspect of that emotional roller-coaster that we

call the Wimbledon championships so he is a good guide to ask. I think

he made Cilic when they worked together, much more of a believer in

himself, battler, much tougher. I think when they broke up Marin was a

little bit lost for a while, trying to figure out what to do next. If

you look at his record this year, he had a losing record in the first

half of this year. With Bjorkman he has finally tapped into ad now it is

looking rosy for him. Goran is putting the pressure on him.

Absolutely! Tim, as far as analysing the game, you have been looking at a

couple of aspects, first of all the first serve on the first point? You

always want to make strong starts. They serve will always be an

important part of Cilic's armoury. Against Sam Querrey he did such a

good job of getting off to a good start winning that point. Think the

statistic I looked at earlier, I think they played 23 service games

and 21 of them Cilic was able to win the first point. When you are giving

yourself that platform, it frees you up to be more aggressive. It is

better to be playing 15-0 on your server then when you are behind

0-15. That is something he will have to do against Federer. There we go,

I was right! 21 of 23 points. It gives you that foundation to be

aggressive. Federer is a great front runner. If he is holding serve you

will feel the pressure. Imposed two games he was broken. I would think

the right-handed players are whining and saying the lefties have the

advantage. They get the lead and there is your stat to back it up so

quiet! It is a big serve, isn't it? He is a big guy so he has a big

serve. His volleys have improved. He has a lot of skills. Listen, it is

the same with Roger. I bet if you looked at the stat there it would be

similar type of stat. He has better serving stats actually! Denton shows

Cilic that! We will not. He has got to break Roger. Cilic is standing

further back, I think to give him a little more time, but when he does

that he is being more aggressive. A guy who is six foot six has a huge

reach. He is there it difficult to ace. If you are going out wide you

had better hit your spots. I think one of the interesting aspects,

especially on the second serve, is to see if Federer will go into the

body to try and tie him up and get a defensive reply. Certainly, whether

Cilic is going to disband in which she has not been doing, he has been

standing back, he has got to be very aggressive to get that first strike

in the rally. It will be difficult because Roger is better than anyone

at Angling you. We can see from 2016 Cilic was hitting only 1% of returns

further back, 72% just behind the baseline.

This year he has hit 35 from behind the baseline but 32% further back.

There is no point at returning from further back if you are not being

aggressive. He has given more time to say I will have a big cut at this

and get the first strike him. You know what Roger will do, he will mix

it up with second serve and some serve and volley. You have to be

precise which other players did not do. He is too smart for this stuff.

I know! There is a reason why it is his 11th final! It is incredible and

we will be a turning our attention to Roger now. There are big crowds

here. Talking of Roger Federer, he is now one match away from becoming

the most successful male singles player here at Wimbledon. His

talents are unparalleled which leaves even tennis talent in North.

Roger Federer is one of those rare athletes who seems to be exempt from

certain physical laws. Roger is the most beautiful player I have ever

watched. A creature who combines both flesh and somehow life. He has

a superpower we do not know about. Time stops for him. It defies logic.

He is a complete tennis player. The greatest of all time. Roger, you are

so loved here at Wimbledon, but around the world, I wonder how you

feel when you hear that and you know that love?

It is a big deal for me. From time to time I thank the crowd to make

sure they understand I appreciate their support. In terms of the

achievement of winning an eighth title here, I think maybe Jack

Nicholas winning the Masters, Muhammad Ali winning the Rumble in

the jungle, how do you feel about it? I have not thought about

comparing these finals to something else. I think in the years 2007,

eight, nine, ten, when I was chasing a lot of the big records in sport

and I was able to break some of them, the records gave me an extra

source of motivation and inspired me to train harder, be professional,

keep doing what I am doing, Love what I am doing, get to meet the

greats of the game. I had these moments at Wimbledon and I know when

I step on court against Cilic, I will be ready for the occasion. It

will not be too big. I will be ready for it. There was a famous quote you

gave when you are 15 saying one should be able to play the perfect

game, you did not just think you could win there would be the perfect

way of winning. When I said that, I was referring to missing one

forehand. I will accept that. The second one, getting aggravated. The

third one, the racquet had to go. Tennis is a funny sport. I feel like

I can always do better. I have trained so much over the years.

Eventually, the progress is so minimal but it is in the details. I

think I am still seeking that perfect game, perfect tournament. I

will never find it but it keeps me practising and wanting to improve.

Your last title in 2012, this is 2017, can you compare and contrast

the Roger then and the Roger now? Yes, I think it is the easiest

comparison. 2012, the first time I won Wimbledon as a dad. If I was to

win with my boys this time around, it would be very special so I will

try. Just perfect, isn't he? He even

juggles four kids perfectly. She had better had a tissue when she is

interviewing him because she is dribbling. We were talking about

Venus yesterday. This is the most incredible sporting story. Trying to

come up with a player who is better. He went through some issues. He

would have said he may not win it again after 2012. There was a slight

decline. The way he left the court last year after the semis and then

he does not play for six months. You can fade is arguable that he is

better than he was five or eight or ten years ago. We are not just

blowing smoke up people's you know what! It is actually true that he is

better. On that note... Send him to American TV! But it is right, it is

just incredible. I think the ATP must be worried because players will

be thinking they have to manage their bodies like Rafa and Roger

have. Anyone that can afford it, there is no question. I do not think

joke of it will play at the open -- Djokovic will play. You will see

Rafa do it, Roger continued to do it. But guess what, he wants to win

this and be number one for the year at 36 years old. He is probably

going to do it. Exactly. Who are you going for today before you go? I

know you have to dash. As always I hope for a good final and I hope

Marin steps up and nothing happens to Roger in the way that Venus

seemed to have every intention. I guess it is

possible, but I am going to go with Roger in four sets. OK, Mac, thank

you for everything and all your comments over the last two weeks.

You were great, Tim. The countdown is on,

the atmosphere's building, and if you've just joined us

here on BBC One, Roger Federer and Marin Cilic will walk out

on centre court in 10 minutes' time to contest the men's singles

final here at Wimbledon. It's one of the biggest

days in world sport,