By: Tennie Sumague,
EBC Sports International
New York Bureau
MELBOURNE, Australia (Eagle News) — In the world of sports, there is much talk about which athlete is the Greatest of All Time.
In the NFL, many say it’s New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. In the NBA, it’s an ongoing debate between Michael Jordan and Lebron James.
In tennis, that title belongs to Roger Federer.
Federer won his 20th overall Grand Slam Title, his sixth Australian Open with a thrilling 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over sixth-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia on Sunday.
“I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable,” said Federer, who choked in tears in front of a sold-out crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “Of course winning is an absolute dream come true — the fairytale continues for us, for me, after the great year I had last year, it’s incredible.”
Like Brady, who at 40 will be vying for his sixth Super Bowl trophy next Sunday, Federer, who turns 37 in August , is still at the top of his game. The average professional tennis player or any athlete at that age is either enjoying retirement or competing at a limited level.
“Age is just a number. I’ve won three Slams in 12 months. I can’t believe it myself,” Federer added.
“I just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry then maybe good things can happen. I don’t think that age is an issue per se. But I need to be careful with my planning, really decide beforehand what my goals and what my priorities [are]. That’s going to dictate how successful I will be.”
In the women’s final, Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam title and became the first Danish player to do so, defeating top-seeded Simona Halep 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 49 minutes on Saturday.
The title earned Wozniacki a $3.29 million paycheck and a return to the number one ranking after six years.
“One of the most positive things about [winning is that] I’m never going to get to the question again about being a world No. 1 without a Slam,” said Wozniacki. “I dreamt of this moment so many years. To be here now, it’s a dream come true.”
“Being here tonight as a Grand Slam Champion, Australian Open champion, it’s very special,” she added. “Daphne [Akhurst Memorial Cup] here is going home with me tonight. I’ll be cuddling with her.”
Serena Williams, last year’s champion offered her support and congratulated her friend on Twitter.
Williams tweeted, “I got too nervous to watch…So awesome. So happy. I’m so proud…literally can’t even sleep now.” (Eagle News)
