Wimbledon 2017: Roger Federer admits he is surprising himself at the age of 35

Five years after he tied with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, Federer defeated a tearful Marin Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 to become the first man to lift the trophy eight times at the All England Club.

It has been a glorious late career chapter for Federer, who was sidelined by knee problems for the last six months of 2016 but has hit possibly his greatest heights at 35.

A stunning Australian Open triumph over Rafael Nadal has now been followed by the most dominant of his Wimbledon titles, Federer tearing through seven matches without dropping a set.

"I'm incredibly surprised how well this year is going, how well I'm feeling, how things are turning out to be on the courts, how I'm managing tougher situations, where my level of play is on a daily basis," he said.

"I am surprised that it's this good. I knew I could do great again maybe one day, but not at this level.

"I guess you would have laughed, too, if I told you I was going to win two slams this year. It's incredible.

"I don't know how much longer it's going to last. But I've just got to always remind myself that health comes first at this point. If I do that, maybe things are actually possible I didn't think were."

Federer thinks more about the end these days, although there is no sign yet that it is coming.

As he did in Australia, Federer told the crowd in his on-court interview that he hoped to be back to defend his title, and there is no doubt in his mind that he wants to be.

"I totally see myself playing here this time next year," he said.

"But because it's far away, because of what happened last year, I just like to take the opportunity to thank the people in the very moment, and make them understand, yes, I hope that I'm back. There's never a guarantee, especially not at 35, 36."

Wimbledon was the tournament where Federer made his big breakthrough with victory over Pete Sampras back in 2001 and then his first grand slam title two years later.

He won every year between 2003 and 2007 before adding further titles in 2009, 2012 and now 2017.

"I hoped to have a chance maybe one day to be in a Wimbledon final and have a chance to win the tournament," he said.

"Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for, in my opinion. If you do, you must have so much talent and parents and coaches that push you from the age of three, who think you're like a project.

"I was not that kid. I was just really a normal guy growing up in Basle, hoping to make a career on the tennis tour.

"I guess I dreamed, I believed, and really hoped that I could actually maybe really do it, to make it real. So I put in a lot of work, and it paid off.

"It is very special. Wimbledon was always my favourite tournament, will always be my favourite tournament.

"My heroes walked the grounds here and walked the courts here. Because of them, I think I became a better player, too. To mark history here at Wimbledon really means a lot to me just because of all of that.

"To be Wimbledon champion for an entire year now is something I can't wait to savour and enjoy."

This was a Wimbledon final that will endure simply because of what it meant rather than the match.

For four games it looked like it might be a real contest but Cilic missed a break point at 2-1 and Federer took his chance in the following game.

The first sign that something was really amiss with Cilic came at 3-0 in the second set, when he sat down on his chair and wept uncontrollably.

He later revealed he had been struggling with a blister on his left foot and the pain severely limited his movement.

Cilic had his foot retaped at the start of the third set and at least made the scoreline respectable, but there was no doubt who was going to emerge victorious.

When Federer sent down an eighth ace on match point to clinch a 19th grand slam title, he held his arms aloft and then let his own tears flow as he looked up to wife Mirka and their four children in the player box.

For Cilic, playing in his first Wimbledon final, the feeling of not being able to play how he wanted to was just too much.

The Croatian said: "It was just a feeling that I knew that I cannot give my best on the court, especially at this stage of my career, in such a big match. It was very, very difficult to deal with it.

"You go through so many things. Such a small thing can play a huge difference. Obviously it's extremely difficult to accept it.

"But I'm really proud of myself for everything I did these two weeks. I played, I would say, probably the best tennis of my life. That's what I'm going to take home with me."