Roger Federer just won Wimbledon for the eighth time

Roger Federer wins Wimbledon 2017Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

Roger Federer beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday, 3-6, 1-6, 4-6, to win his eighth Wimbledon. This is the Swiss player’s 19th Grand Slam singles title, and his latest win makes him the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the Open era, at the age of 35.

Federer described his opponent, who was hampered by injury during the match, as “a hero” and congratulated him on “an incredible tournament”.

He said after the match: “You should be very proud to play in these finals. Sometimes you don’t always feel great in the finals. I hope we can play down the road in some better ones.”

Cilic occasionally struggled with his injuries during the match. At one point ahead of the second set, he broke down in tears, seemingly over a leg injury. The audience gave him a standing ovation when he got back to his feet, but he took a medical timeout at the end of the second set so a doctor could treat his foot.

Marin Cilic receives medical attentionToby Melville/Reuters

Despite an expectation he might retire during the match, Cilic continued to the bitter end. He said after the game: “I never gave up when I started a match — that was my idea today.

“I gave my best and that’s all I could do. I had an amazing journey here. I played the best tennis of my life. I want to thank my team, they gave so much strength to me. It was really tough today and I’m hoping I’m going to come back here and try one more time.”

Federer’s victory has made him the world number 3 in the ATP rankings. Andy Murray remains number one despite dropping out of the tournament earlier, while Rafael Nadal is number two.

The last time the Swiss won the tournament was in 2012. He qualified for the finals in 2014 and 2015, but lost to Novak Djokovic.