Roger Federer said "age is not an issue"
after he beat Marin Cilic to win his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam
title at the age of 36.
The Swiss second seed won 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6 6-1
to retain the title he won 12 months ago.
Ken Rosewall, who won the 1972 Australian Open at
37, is the only man older than Federer to have won a major singles title in the
Open era.
"I've won three slams now in 12 months. I can't
believe it myself," he said.
"I've just got to keep a good schedule, stay
hungry, then maybe good things can happen. Then I don't think age is an issue,
per se. It's just a number.
"But I need to be very careful in my planning,
really decide beforehand what are my goals, what are my priorities. I think
that's what's going to dictate how successful I will be.
"Exciting times ahead. As a professional, it's
what we do. But I'm happy I'm in that position right now.
Federer was playing his 72nd Grand Slam
tournament, and making his 19th appearance in the main draw in Melbourne.
After a gap of almost five years between
winning his 17th and 18th major titles, he has now won three of the last five,
having also claimed an eighth Wimbledon title in July.
Remarkably, Federer has now won 10% of the 200
men's singles titles on offer at the majors since tennis turned professional in
1968
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