Federer stopped; Nadal slips through
WIMBLEDON, England — The prospect of a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal Wimbledon final is no more, with Federer, who was bidding to extend his record eight men’s titles, ousted by freehitting Kevin Anderson, who battled back from a two-sets-to-none deficit.
Federer, 36, breezed through the opening set in just 26 minutes, had a match point in the third set and was just two points from victory more than once in the epic fifth set that lasted 90 minutes.
But at each critical juncture, the 6-foot-8 Anderson, who had never beaten Federer in four previous meetings, was unshakable, maintaining his power, belief and courage for the 2-6, 6-7 (7-5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 victory.
“I really tried my best to keep fighting,” Anderson, 32, told the BBC immediately after coming off court from the 4:14 match. “By the end, I thought I did a great job of not thinking about things too much. Beating Roger Federer here at Wimbledon will definitely be one that I remember — especially in such a close match.”
The victory sends Anderson through to Friday’s semifinal, in which he’ll face three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who turned back Kei Nishikori in four sets.
When Wimbledon got underway July 2, tennis fans of all loyalties seemed united in rooting for one pairing in Sunday’s men’s final: a reprise of the 2008 clash between Federer and Nadal, which produced what many believe is the greatest match in tennis history.
Federer, Wimbledon’s greatest male champion, was greeted warmly Wednesday by Court One ticket-holders
who never imagined they’d have a chance to see him in person. The Swiss champion hadn’t been assigned any court except Centre since 2015.
But he seemed to answer any question about whether he’d be addled by the unfamiliar environs or Anderson’s massive serve in the first 26 minutes, closing the opening set with the impeccable form he’d shown in winning his first five matches without losing a set or his serve.
But after failing to convert a match point in the third set, Federer allowed a rash of errors to creep into his game, particularly on the forehand side.
Emboldened by the development, Anderson went on all-out attack. After fighting back from match point and love-40 on his serve to take the third set, the South African broke Federer in the seventh game of the fourth set. And he kept his composure while Federer committed everyday errors — a netted backhand, an over-hit forehand — at the worst possible moments.
They remained on serve early in the fifth set, as the match passed the three-hour mark.
Anderson did well to hold his nerve down the stretch — neither cowering nor over-hitting as the prospect of the greatest victory of his career inched closer. There was no drop-off in intensity; no letdown in the quality of his play.
Serving at deuce and 3-4, Anderson yanked Federer from one corner of the court to the other with blistering groundstrokes until the Swiss ended the 21-shot rally by netting yet another backhand.
Serving at 5-6, Anderson fell behind Love-30, which put Federer two points form defeat. But the Swiss had a patch of bad luck, losing his footing and, as a result, netting a forehand form an off-balance position. Anderson rightly earned the points that followed with winners the Swiss couldn’t touch.
With fifth-set tiebreakers not permitted at Wimbledon, they played on — each point heavy with implications.
Federer served first in the seesaw battle of extra time, which ought to have put Anderson at a slight psychological disadvantage, forced to serve from behind just to stay even. If it gnawed at him, there was no evidence as the match surpassed the fourhour mark. Anderson leveled for 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10.
Snacks during the changeovers kept them going, but nothing seemed capable of separating them — at least until Federer appeared distracted by a midpoint shout from the crowd and a plane flying overhead while serving at 11-11. The Swiss lost his serve, putting the match in Anderson’s big-serving hands.
And he closed, fittingly, on a service winner.
Earlier on Centre Court, Djokovic overcame Nishikori and his own bad behavior (twice smacked with code violations for racket abuse and a time violation) to become the first to earn a spot in Friday’s semifinals with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Wednesday’s other quarterfinals will pit Nadal against Juan Martin del Potro, while American John Isner will take on Canada’s Milos Raonic for a semifinal berth.