History was made on a warm and overcast afternoon in South West London on Sunday, as tennis's perpetual nice guy Roger Federer was anything but in clinically sweeping aside Marin Cilic to win an eighth Wimbledon title.

No male player has now won more singles crowns on the grass of SW19, nor won a title here over the age of 35. Even by Federer's standards, these are two quite remarkable achievements given that he had been written off on several occasions prior to his 2017 resurgence.

He now has two Grand Slams to his name this year after defeating Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes today, to add to his epic win over old foe Rafael Nadal in the Melbourne heat in January.

"I've got to take some more time off," he joked in his on-court interview, referring to his absence from Roland Garros in order to prepare for another shot at Wimbledon. "I'll be gone again for the next six months if it keeps working out this fantastic when I come back."

Witticisms aside, he may be wise to do so if it means maintaining the level of play he has shown in the last two weeks. He was quite simply majestic here, with movement, pace and deftness of touch all working in tandem as he claimed a second Grand Slam title without dropping a set, becoming just the third man in the Open Era to win multiple perfect Slams.

When Federer won the coin toss ahead of the match, there may have been a few raised eyebrows as he elected to receive the Croatian's serve first. By doing so, he put the pressure on his opponent right from the start and while both players exhibited a measure of anxiety in their first few service games, with the Swiss needing a challenge to help him hold his opening game, it was the maestro who struck first.

In the fifth game, a feathered backhand winner from Federer, as Cilic had done well to place him under pressure, was the point at which the match swung. Coming after saving a break point in the previous game, there was a sense that Federer would not let him back in, and he duly broke and consolidated, and waited for the errors to mount. Cilic double faulted on set point, and Federer did not need to look back.

By the time Federer had raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, it was clear something wasn't right with Cilic, who broke down in tears during the changeover, overcome by the nature of his predicament. He continued after medical attention, unwilling to let his injury, later revealed to be a painful blister, force him to quit on such a prestigious stage. Yet the atmosphere felt decidedly flat afterwards as the crowd realised the process of inevitability was well on its way.

Cilic reflected later on why his emotions had come to the surface: "It was just emotionally that I knew on such a big day that I'm unable to play my best tennis, in every single way. That was just a combination of all emotions because I know how much it took for me to get here.

It was actually very difficult to focus on the match, as well, as my mind was all the time blocked with the pain," he added. "It was tough for me to focus on the tactics, on the things that I needed to do."

A wayward cross-court volley from Cilic handed Federer a 5-1 lead in the second set, who by this stage was attempting serve and volley tactics in a bid to both unsettle his opponent and allay the pain caused by his lateral movement.

While the spectators were doing their best to get behind the 2014 US Open champion, perhaps more in an attempt to extend their viewing time, Federer remained unmoved and served to take a two-set lead.

Another medical timeout before the third set improved the match slightly as a contest, with Cilic hitting and moving better. However in the seventh game, a forehand into the net handed Federer the decisive break. Both players remained on serve thereafter, and Federer aced his championship point to secure a 19th Grand Slam title.

There was a hint of emotion as he pumped the air with both fists, racquet still in hand. This was a more measured Federer from the Roger of young, usually seen collapsing on the turf, perhaps a sign of his maturity at this autumnal stage of his wonderful career. When some tears did flow once he sat to await the trophy presentation, they were in stark contrast to Cilic's an hour or so before.

Federer remarked in his press conference later: Yes, it is very special [to win eight titles]. 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 really. It's that simple.

"I'm incredibly surprised how well this year is going, how well I'm feeling, as well, 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. I am surprised that it's this good."

Cilic admitted afterwards that he felt he had also played some of the best tennis of his life at this year's tournament. He certainly has the tools to win more Grand Slams, but he may have to wait a little longer while Federer ages like a fine wine, hungry for more success.

Elsewhere in the mixed doubles, Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis overcame defending champions Henri Kontinen and Heather Watson 6-4 6-4 in the final to ensure more British and Swiss success at this year's Wimbledon. The victory marked Murray and Hingis' second mixed doubles titles here and their first as a team.