ROGER ROLLS ON Federer gets 100th Wimby win, with Nadal up next
Roger Federer added another milestone to his sparkling Wimbledon resume.
The eight-time champion at the All-England Club became the first player to win 100 matches at one Grand Slam tournament Wednesday with his quarterfinal victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 6-4.
Federer’s overall record on the grass at Wimbledon is now a stunning 100-12.
The first set was a grind for Federer and a chance for eighth-seeded Nishikori to flex his strength. Nishikori took an early 2-1 lead and made the 37-year-old Federer work for almost all his shots. Despite having five aces, Federer double faulted three times and sent many a forehand into the net.
“It was difficult, the game was brutal. I had to make some adjustments and stay with him,” Federer told ESPN after the match.
In the second set, Federer made up for his early mistakes and played in prime form. He staggeringly won every point from his first serves that went into play, and all of the points when he went to net. The third and fourth sets followed in much the same manner.
Federer finally shook hands with Nishikori at the net after two-hours and 36minutes. The veteran champ finished 11 aces and 54 winners on the day.
“Kei was the better player and it was important for me to compete in the second. I just think in the end I served really good,” Federer said of the rough first set, per The Guardian.
Federer will play Rafael Nadal in the semifinals on Friday after Nadal had no trouble sending American Sam Querrey home, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
The Federer-Nadal matchup will be the 40th time the two have played during their 15-year rivalry. Nadal holds a comfortable 25-14 lead in their head-to-head clashes.
“Of course I am excited to play against Roger again at Wimbledon after such a long time,” Nadal said after his win.
The last time the two faced-off at Wimbledon was in 2008, when the two pushed themselves to new heights to play the best Wimbledon finals, and one of the best tennis matches, in history. Nadal won 6–4, 6–4, 6–7, 6–7, 9–7. Federer, however, still holds a 2-1 lead over Nadal at the AllEngland Club.