LONDON - JULY 08: Roger Federer of Switzerland waves to the crowd as he celebrates victory, following the Men's Singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain during day thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 8, 2007 in London, England. Roger Federer claims his fifth consecutive championship title. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
On July 16, Roger Federer will look to win his eighth Wimbledon title and his 19th career Grand Slam title. Standing in his way is Croatian powerhouse Marin Cilic. Federer has won six of the seven previous meetings against Cilic including a phenomenal five set match in the quarterfinals of last year’s Wimbledon.
At age 35, Federer has turned back the clock on the competition and has dominated the ATP competition. To put it into perspective, Federer has won 30 of the 32 matches that he has played this year. Federer started the year with a bang and won his first Australian Open title since 2010 by defeating rival Rafael Nadal in a five set thriller. However, Federer decided to skip the clay court season entirely this season as he hoped to gain extra rest and preparation for the grass courts which is clearly his most dominant surface. Federer’s success has been due to his consistent serving and improved movement. His service is practically unbreakable while his movement and shot variety provide him with tons of break point opportunities. So far, Federer has not dropped a single set at Wimbledon and looked vastly superior over top 15 players Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych. Overall, he looks unbeatable and is reasserting himself as the greatest tennis player of all time in the minds of tennis fans all over the world.
Federer’s opponent, Marin Cilic, should be his toughest test in Wimbledon. Cilic has looked extremely solid this season and will look to use his powerful play style to overpower Federer to pull off the upset. Cilic’s journey to the Wimbledon final has been impressive but also relatively lucky. Cilic was supposed to play Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and then Andy Murray in the semifinals. However, both players were upset and Cilic had the luxury of playing Gilles Muller and Sam Querrey instead. In his four set match against Querrey in the semifinals, Cilic had a ridiculous 70 winners, including 25 aces, and only 21 unforced errors. Cilic is known all over the ATP tour for his insane shot power and has used it to overpower every opponent within his path. This power resulted in a 2014 U.S. Open title where he defeated Kei Nishikori in the final. Cilic’s power can cause some serious problems for Federer and has done so in the past. If Cilic limits the amount of unforced errors and keeps his winners total high, this upset will be more likely to occur than people think.
Overall, I have to side with Federer in the contest. Federer was my pre-tournament pick to win the whole thing and I have no reason to change my pick. I think Federer will be too crafty and too quick for Cilic to handle. However, I do expect a few tiebreakers in this match and I can definitely see Cilic winning one set. My prediction is a very tight four set victory for Federer as he wins yet another Grand Slam tournament.
2017 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final Viewing Details
Date: Sunday, July 16, 2017
Time: 9:00 A.M. EST
Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, England
TV Channel: ESPN
How To Watch the Wimbledon Men’s Final Online
Your best bet for watching Wimbledon via a live stream is WatchESPN. You will need your log-in and password information for your cable or satellite provider and you’re good to go.
If you don’t have access to a cable or satellite log-in, you can watch the Wimbledon through Sling TV. Sling TV is a service that allows subscribers to watch live and on-demand TV channels on TVs, computers, or mobile devices for a monthly fee. It’s just like a cable or satellite TV service, except it’s delivered over the internet. The service’s Orange package includes ESPN and costs $20 a month, but you can sign up for a free seven-day trial. If you cancel your subscription within the week, you will not be charged. Once signed up, simply download the app for your computer to start watching.
You can also live stream ESPN online through DIRECTV NOW. DIRECTV offers a free seven-day trial, so you will receive a full week free before your paid membership begins. If you cancel your subscription within the seven day period, you will not be charged. DIRECTV NOW is available on Desktop, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast.
Watch the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final On Phone, Tablet Or Mobile
If you can’t watch Wimbledon on your TV or computer, the Worldwide Leader has you covered with the WatchESPN app. As long as you have a cable or satellite provider, you can download the app for free in the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Store, or Windows Store.
You can also watch Wimbledon on the Sling app. Sign up for a free Sling trial and download their app from the App Store or Google Play. There is also a Sling app for Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV.
