Roger Federer storms into 2017 Wimbledon with easy victory in Halle

World No. 5 Roger Federer breezed past rising German star Alexander Zverev in straight sets Sunday to win the Gerry Weber Open in Halle for a record ninth time. It was the last stop for Federer ahead of the 2017 Wimbledon, which gets underway at the All England Tennis Club starting July 3.

The 35-year-old Federer is now 4-0 in championship matches in 2017 after clinching Grand Slam No. 18 at the Australian Open, besides winning back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami. With Sunday's victory, Federer claimed 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and increased his carry tally of titles to 92. He is just two shy of second-placed Ivan Lendl for most titles in the Open Era.

Federer will enter the 2017 Wimbledon as the odds-on favourite after a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 victory to cap off another successful week in Halle. En route his seven previous Wimbledon championships, Federer used the event in Galle to prepare for his favourite Grand Slam event. This year is no different. Federer is tied with Pete Sampras for most Wimbledon titles and has the chance to re-write the history books in a few weeks.

Roger Federer enters 2017 Wimbledon as the favourite

The Swiss Master made a strong statement ahead of the Championships with an imperious display against Zverev, regarded by many as a future superstar and multi-time Grand Slam champion. The 20-year-old German was never allowed to gain any rhythm as Federer broke to love in the opening game before taking a 4-0 first set lead. In a match that lasted just 53 minutes, Federer dropped just nine points on his serve.

During the second set, Federer survived a break point in the opening game before taking a 4-2 lead with a signature backhand volley. It was total domination by Federer, who returned to action a few weeks back after taking a two-month hiatus from the sport. Federer skipped the entirety of the clay-court season, including the 2017 French Open, to recharge his batteries for the grass and hard court seasons.

Prior to Sunday's final, Zverev hailed “Roger (Federer) the best player of all time on grass," and it seemed like the youngster was overawed by the moment, standing face-to-face with his childhood idol. When Federer won his first Wimbledon crown in 2003, Zverev was a six-year-old boy in Germany.

According to odds makers, Roger Federer enters the 2017 Wimbledon as the favourite, closely followed reigning champion Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. With the Halle Open victory, Federer, with 92 career ATP titles, is now third in the all-time list behind Jimmy Connors (109) and Ivan Lendl (94) for most championships in the Open era.