Bornagain Federer turns clock back to reach final
MELBOURNE: Roger Federer held firm against a furious fightback from fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka, edging his former apprentice 7-5 6-3 1-6 4-6 6-3 in a Melbourne Park classic to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.
On the day the Williams sisters booked their place in the women’s final, 35-year-old Federer continued the march of the veterans, becoming the oldest man to reach a grand slam final in more than 40 years.
The Swiss master was shaken as fourth seed Wawrinka stormed back to level the match at a floodlit Rod Laver Arena but it was his opponent who blinked first in the tension-riven decider.
Wawrinka double-faulted to hand Federer the key break in the sixth game and four-times champion Federer rode a wave of adulation from the terraces to serve out the match to love.
One win from an 18th Grand Slam title and a first in five years, Federer also kept alive the chance of a dream final with great rival Rafa Nadal, who plays the second semi-final against 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov.
The Swiss became the oldest men’s Grand S lam finalist since Ken Rosewall featured in the US Open in 1974 at the age of 39.
“It’s all real, I never thought in my wildest dreams I would come this far in Australia,” a glowing Federer said in his courtside interview, having come to Australia with no expectations after six months out of the game.
“I’ve got a couple of days off. It’s beautiful. I’m probably (Nadal’s) number one fan. I’m happy we’ve had some epic battles over the years.”
Federer had to close out the win with an upper leg injury and thanked the court’s physio for his “magic hands”.
But he moved superbly to deny his close friend Wawrinka a chance at a fourth Slam title. MELBOURNE: Rafa Nadal’s path to his Australian Open semifinal against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday has taught the 30-year-old Spaniard one thing — he’s still got it. After being bundled out in the first round by compatriot Fernando Verdasco last year, Nadal has reached his fifth semifinal at Melbourne Park in a remarkable turnaround for the 14-time Grand Slam winner.
A barren 2016 saw him fail to reach at least one Grand Slam final for the first time since 2004 and while he won Olympic doubles Friendship was shelved before the match, however, and Wawrinka kept the doyen of men’s tennis waiting before they walked silently to centre court.
It was a slow-burning start to their seventh grand slam encounter, but it sparked into life in a marathon fourth game as Wawrinka saved a trio of break points to grimly hold serve.
There were moments of magic, a regal Federer drop shot sliced high into the air from the gold at the Rio Games a troubling wrist injury forced him to call time on his season in early October. “Very happy that after a lot of work, to be in this round again,” Nadal said.
Hard work has been central to the latter part of Nadal’s career, particularly as knee and wrist injuries forced him to miss large chunks of recent seasons.
Questions were being raised as to whether he still had the physicality and game. The last three rounds at Melbourne Park have answered those questions decisively as Nadal beat 24th seed Alexander Zverev in five sets, sixth seed Gael Monfils in four, then outclassed third seed Milos Raonic in the quarters.
Next up is Dimitrov. Once tipped as the young player most likely to challenge the established order, the Bulgarian has struggled to live up to those expectations and was hindered by off-court distractions.
Friday will mark just his second Slam semifinal but the 25-year-old feels that under new coach Daniel Vallverdu he now has the mental strength and attitude to match the game. He is on a winning run of 10 matches that earned him the Brisbane title and has taken him to the last four at the Australian Open. baseline just cleared the net to flummox Wawrinka at 3-2.
Federer swapped wands, grabbing a fresh racket after new balls were called and wielded it to devastating effect in the 12th game, breaking Wawrinka’s serve to take the set when he hammered a forehand into the net.Broken again to trail 4-2, Wawrinka lost the second set in just 31 minutes and hammered his racket into the court.
The barrel-chested Swiss decided to complete the job propcould erly, snapping his racket in half over his knee.
His other knee had been bothering him before the match and he returned to the court with it strapped.
With new racket in hand, he began swinging with abandon and his peerless backhand began to sing.
A searing passing shot broke Federer’s serve in the fourth game and Wawrinka roared through the set in a furious salvo of power hitting.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 17th seed Swiss edges past compatriot Wawrinka in five sets to enter a Slam final since 2015 I was on one leg. He had the wrist injury (in Mallorca last year)... We would have never thought that we were going to be here, potentially playing in a final... Fans missed him... Everyone wants even more to see him play, to see him win... He’s flying on the court. He’s playing amazing tennis. He’s the best player ever No more quallies! That’s amazing because who would have thought at 34yearsold I would be breaking my personal best! MATCH STATS
Aces Double Faults Winners Unforced Errors Break Points won Total Points Won
Another smoking backhand passing shot smashed through Federer’s serve, and the Swiss lost a sixth straight game.
Wawrinka fired a string of huge serves to put the match on level terms and pounded his chest twice in a muted celebration. Trading backhand blows like heavyweight boxers, the pair pounded away at each other in the fifth before Wawrinka’s serve crumbled.
The decisive double-fault sparked raucous cheers from the pro-Federer crowd and Federer roared to the finish, savouring the chance to add to his four Melbourne Park titles.
“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I cannot just be happy to win two sets against Roger,” Wawrinka told reporters after his loss.
“I’m proud of myself, of the fight I gave tonight and all the tournament. I think there are a lot of positives from this tournament, from Brisbane, from the month already.”