Federer Overcomes Čilić and AC to Win His 20th Slam

Maybe it was outta respect for the elderly.

After leaving the roof open at Rod Laver Arena the day before so Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep could bake until well done, Australian Open officials decided to close it for the men's final.

Did they not want 36-year-old legend Roger Federer to die from heat stroke?

Two weeks of searing temperatures finally got to Halep, who wound up in the hospital last night for dehydration.

 

All she and Wozniacki got were cooling towels, medical attention, and a 10-minute heat break so the show could go on.

As ridiculous as the officials' decisions were ironic, men's finalist Marin Čilić probably best described the players' situation in circumstances like these:

It’s a professional sport. It’s meant to hurt. It’s not meant to be easy.

So, amid the same comfort that the players will enjoy during the Super Bowl -- in their case, to escape the Minnesota chill -- Čilić and Federer duked it out for the 2018 Australian Open title in what was definitely a three-act drama:

 

The 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory secured Federer's 20th Slam title in his magnificent career.

His Croatian challenger had pushed him to the limit, but the Swiss maestro rose to every occasion with a combination of strength and creativity that's been his signature.

Dude needed every ounce of it to counter the 29-year-old Čilić's athleticism:

 

This is Federer's sixth Aussie Open title, won in typical clockwork fashion.

All told, he spent less than 11 hours on court during the fortnight while his younger rivals labored under the intense Melbourne sun for much longer. Čilić, by comparison, logged just over 17 hours.

 

In the end, it showed.