Roger Federer Vs Marin Cilic In Wimbledon Final Is A Match Of Beauty Against Brute Force

Roger Federer stands at 6 ft 1' in his socks. He isn't short. But in that rarefied stratosphere of elite tennis, fast becoming the ground for giants, he's only average. In height. "Everybody's getting taller," Federer, who plays the towering Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, said. "I wonder how the game is going to be like in 50 years. We have to raise the net, push the lines in a little bit."

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"I'm in for a tough one, Marin's got power," the artful Swiss said of his 6 ft 6' opponent. "I'm going to try to play within myself. I have to play offensive. If you give Marin time on the ball he can finish points nicely. The court is still playing quite fast. It helps on my serve, but it also helps him."

The title round then will be a clash of styles and eras, brutal versus beautiful, delicate battling destructive. A man in who the old meets with now against an opponent who embodies what will be.

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Federer, as much the sport's story of the year as the season's puzzle, heads Cilic 6-1 in head-to-head clashes. But what's that? A number detailing what was, possibly a set score on Sunday? Significantly, the sweetsmiling Croat, the game's Mr Nice, beat Federer in the semifinals of the 2014 US Open, playing what the Swiss called, 'lights out tennis'.

Riding on the power of his hurricane serve Cilic clinched his maiden Grand Slam title in New York. It is the play he'll try to reproduce in the final -bold and bruising. He attempted to bring it on board in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year against Federer, had chances to shoot out the legend's challenge, but came up short, failing to scale a mental wall.

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The 35-year-old, easy elegance and touch that teases, is into a record 11th final at Church Road. "It's great, but it doesn't give me the title quite yet," Federer, going for an eighth crown, said. "That's why I came here this year. I'm so close, I just got to stay focused."

Cilic said his win over Federer in the US Open gives him belief. "I'm now in a little bit of a better form, maybe just slightly mentally stronger, maybe learned a few more valuable lessons (since the 2014 US Open).

"But still it's a final. It's never easy to deal with it. You never know how your emotions are going to be when you enter Centre Court. I'm believing that I have the ability and the game. I have played really well during the tournament. That is important in giving me confidence to prepare for this final." Cilic said Federer's game was tailored for grass. The 35-year-old demonstrated that with his run to the final without dropping a set.

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"His game fits really nicely, almost perfectly for grass. He's really fluid with his shots, playing aggressive tennis. He's got that natural ability with his movement that he can play fast, he can accelerate and decelerate."

Cilic, looking for his second Grand Slam title, called the most famous patch of grass, Federer's home court. "It's a place where he knows that he can play the best game. Obviously I'm going to look back, as well, 12 months ago I was one point away from winning a match against him. Definitely I believe in my own abilities to get through and win it." "Still," the 28-year-old said, "It's a big mountain to climb. But I believe I'm ready." The Swiss would say, ditto.