Federer broken but not out
LONDON: At 2.51pm on Wednesday wild cheers erupted around Wimbledon’s Court One.
Were the fans showing their appreciation for yet another Roger Federer wondershot, or excited by the arrival of Hollywood A-lister Bradley Cooper in Federer’s players’ box?
No. The noisy ovation was for Gilles Simon as the French hustler became the first man at this year’s championships to break the mighty Federer serve.
So impenetrable has been the Swiss maestro’s serve that he had held it for 116 successive service games stretching back to the first round of last month’s Halle Open.
A feat that had been beyond the skill-set of Ernests Gulbis, Florian Mayer, Ivo Karlovic, Andreas Seppi, Damir Dzumhur, Sam Querrey, Sam Groth and Roberto Bautista Agut, was pulled off by Simon in the second set of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
A whipped Federer forehand that overshot the baseline in the 10th game handed Simon a glimmer of hope as the Swiss finally dropped his serve — the only problem for the Frenchman being that it merely drew him level at 5-5.
“I’m happy it lasted as long as it did,” seven-times champion Federer said after the 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory earned him a semifinal showdown with British third seed Andy Murray.
“It’s been a great streak. At the same time, I’m relieved that [he got the] break. [Now] I can just focus on the normal things. Not whether I’m going to hold serve or not. Because holding serve is not going to really do much.”
But as he had done in his previous four matches at the grasscourt major, a regal Federer was proving to be an unstoppable force at this year’s Wimbledon.
European royalty were out in force on Centre Court with Prince William, his wife the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Albert of Monaco in attendance but tennis’ own HRS — His Royal Swissness — was holding court next door.
Simon did not do much wrong as he won the longest rally (26 shots) in the match, his tally of 21 unforced errors was fewer than his rival and of course there was the break.
But fleeting moments of solid tennis are unlikely to upset the momentum of a man who has an inexhaustible supply of dazzling trick shots — and then some.
American Andy Roddick knows only too well how it feels to be in the Federer firing line and summed up Simon’s plight as: “It’s horrible being at the other end.”
Horrible for Simon yes; but the 11,000strong chorus of “oohs” and “aahs” that greeted every one of Federer’s 36 winners told its own story.
Having served out the first set with a 116mph bullet, the second set with a 122mph missile, Federer tried to finish off the match with a flourish by hurling down a second serve thunderbolt.
The only problem was that it turned into a double fault and he had to make do by punching away a high backhand volley.