Title favourite
Federer outclasses Raonic to reach Wimbledon semis
WIMBLEDON: At a stage in his career at which he could expect to be merely a sentimental favourite, Roger Federer instead enters the Wimbledon semi-finals as a prohibitive pick to win the title.
By avenging his semi-final loss to Milos Raonic here last year with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory on Wednesday, Federer, who turns 36 next month, became the oldest Wimbledon semi-finalist since Ken Rosewall reached the final at 39 in 1974.
“I’m just very happy that I’m still doing so well,” Federer said. “Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit. But the plan was always to hopefully be strong also later on in my career.”
Federer, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, has gone from strength to strength this year. After missing the last five months of last season, he won his first major championship in six years at the Australian Open in January, and continued his dominance with titles at Indian Wells, California, and Key Biscayne, Florida.
After those wins, Federer stepped away from the tour as it shifted to clay, allowing for Rafael Nadal to dominate and for his own body to rest and recharge.
Federer returned to the tour on the grass courts of Stuttgart, Germany, and lost his first match, to the semiretired Tommy Haas. But Federer regained his form a week later in Halle, Germany, and has continued to improve throughout this tournament.
“That was the idea, that the second week of Wimbledon is that I would feel my best,” he said. “I feel like it’s coming along nicely.”
The third-seeded Federer’s remaining path to the title wends through giants — in stature, if not accomplishments. He will next face the 6ft 5in Tomas Berdych, the No.11 seed, who advanced when secondseeded Novak Djokovic retired while trailing 7-6 (7/2), 2-0 in their quarter-final. A pair of 6-6 players — seventh-seeded Marin Cilic and 24th-seeded Sam Querrey — meet in the other semi-final today.
Berdych, a Wimbledon finalist in 2010 and a semi-finalist last year, has not beaten Federer since 2013.
“They will have their word to say of the outcome of the matches,” Federer said. “They’ve got big serves, big forehands — big hitters, really.”
The last time Federer’s road to a major championship appeared this clear on paper was before his semi-final at the 2014 US Open, where all that stood between him and the title was a semi-final against Cilic and a final against Kei Nishikori. But Cilic blitzed Federer, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and went on to win his only Grand Slam title in similarly dominant fashion over Nishikori.
Cilic, who beat Gilles Mueller 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1, on Wednesday, said his experience winning in New York had stayed with him as he again competes in the closing phases of a major.
“I believe, when coming at these stages of the tournament, I’m going to still be able to play great tennis,” said Cilic.
Today, Cilic will have to beat Querrey, which could be an arduous task. The last time they faced each other at Wimbledon, in 2012, Cilic won in the fifth set, 17-15.
Querrey reached his first Grand Slam semi-final by beating top-seeded Andy Murray, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1. Murray faded in later sets with lingering hip injuries.
Murray remained sharp in his news conference, however. Long a defender of women’s tennis among men’s players, he grew rankled at a question that began by mention of Querrey’s becoming “the first US player to reach a major semi-final since 2009.”
“Male player,” Murray interjected, correcting the statistic.
Indeed, a day earlier, Venus Williams had reached a major semi-final, the 25th by an American woman since Andy Roddick reached his last, at Wimbledon eight years ago.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE Men’s semi-finals
Sam Querrey (USA x24) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7); Roger Federer v Tomas Berdych (CZE x11)