Federer, Wawrinka share history

Melbourne, Australia — Roger Federer certainly knows what to expect in his Australian Open semifinal. And so does his opponent Stan Wawrinka.

There’ll be no secrets in the all-Swiss showdown for a place in Sunday’s final.

“I think him and Rafa (Nadal) best know my game. I’ve played him so much. Stan and I practiced so much together,” Federer said. “With Rafa, I only practiced once in my life, whereas with Stan, I can’t even keep count anymore.”

The first of the men’s semifinals ended too late for this edition on Thursday, following the women’s semifinals which featured three 30-somthings, and three Americans.

Venus Williams, 36, played CoCo Vandeweghe before Serena Williams, 35, took on 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Nadal will play Grigor Dimitrov on Friday night in the last of the semifinals.

Federer holds an imposing 18-3 lead in headto-head encounters with Wawrinka. And, significantly, he has never lost to his compatriot on hardcourts.

While the pair have shared Davis Cup success and Olympic gold, that friendship must be temporarily put aside in the pursuit of the chance for another Australian title.

Four-time champion Federer will be playing his 13th semifinal at Melbourne Park, and the Australian Open is his most successful Grand Slam in match wins with 85.

But he’s wary of Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, despite a remarkable start to 2017.

“If someone would have told me I’d play in the semis against Stan, never would I have called that one for me,” Federer said.