Federer’s pedigree overshadows semi-finals

Swiss master is the huge favourite in a lopsided last four, writes Simon Briggs at Wimbledon

Wimbledon elitist? Absolutely, and in the very best sense. The singles draws here have thrown up little but Hall of Fame champions for the past 15 years. Marion Bartoli might have snuck off with the Venus Rosewater Dish in 2013, but she stands alone as the sole left-field winner in either draw since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Which is just another reason to back the most successful man of all time, Roger Federer, to succeed in an otherwise lacklustre field.

On the men’s side, the Big Four arrived at this year’s Wimbledon on a combined run of 14 straight titles. Admittedly, the brand was slightly tarnished by the nearsimultaneous exits of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, racked by pain from their respective hip and elbow issues. But Federer sails on, and is comfortably odds-on with the bookmakers to land an eighth Wimbledon title on Sunday.

First he faces Tomas Berdych, a semi-finalist here for the third time, in this afternoon’s headline act. An upset feels about as likely as a conga in the Royal Box. But then Berdych did hold two match points against Federer in their last meeting, in Miami in March. He still lost, double-faulting to conclude the deciding-set tie-break.

It seems implausible that Berdych – so often the fall guy at this stage of the majors – will come so close today. Over the first five rounds, Federer has unfurled some fantasy shots and never once been extended to the two-hour mark. Those 35-year-old legs are still full of spring.

It all sounds straightforward for the locker-room’s senior pro, even if Federer was doing his best to talk up the competition on Wednesday night. Speaking to reporters after his evisceration of Milos Raonic, he pointed out the imposing physical stature of the other three in the men’s draw – who include not only Berdych but Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey. But you could tell his heart was not in it.

“These guys are all big hitters,” said Federer. “They’ve got big serves, big forehands, big hitters really. All three guys are taller and stronger than I am. I [have] got to figure out a different way, carve my way through the draw somehow with my slice and my spins, my consistency maybe.” And then came the kicker. “I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Federer’s insouciance is part of his armour. From the beginning, he has considered himself a cut above the field. And over the past 20 years, this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, after 18 major titles, Federer is less needy than any of his rivals.

He is happy to miss a big event in exchange for a stronger run at the next one. There is an obvious contrast with Murray, who would consider entering the Oxshott club championship if he felt he was lacking in court time.

“The reason Roger Federer is the greatest of all time is that he schedules his rest and recuperation to perfection,” says Greg Rusedski, the former British No1. “He also knows when to tweak his support teams, as when he brought in Ivan Ljubicic in 2016, so that there are always new influences and inspirations for him to feed off. I once heard him say, ‘I’m not afraid to change things when I’m winning’.”

If Federer has played 28 major finals, the other three players on show today have just two between them. And Cilic is the only member of the trio to lift a slam title, when he beat Kei Nishikori in New York three years ago. In contrast to Wimbledon, the US Open has seen the highest incidence of surprise winners over the past decade or two, probably because energy levels are beginning to dip by that stage of the season.

Since the start of the grass-court swing, Cilic has recovered some of the same beautiful simplicity that saw him surge through Flushing Meadows in 2014. He simply battered his way to the trophy that year, following the advice of his new coach, Ivanisevic, to “let it fly”.

In an echo of Federer’s recent feats, Cilic scooped the biggest prize of his career after a fourmonth lay-off from the sport – although his absence resulted not from rehabbing an injury, but from being caught ingesting a banned