Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych will be facing each other for the 25th time in their careers when they collide in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday.
The head-to-head series stands at 18-6 in Federer’s favor, which is actually a respectable number for Berdych. But it has not been competitive of late. Since winning five times in the span of eight meetings from 2010 through 2013, Berdych has lost seven in a row against Federer and the underdog is 1-16 in their last 17 total sets. The Czech did, however, make things interesting earlier this season in Miami; Federer prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(6) during his run of consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
That came in a stretch that saw the fifth-ranked Swiss go 19-1 in his first 20 matches of 2017. After skipping the clay-court swing and losing his grass-court opener in Stuttgart to Tommy Haas, Federer appears to be back in the same kind of form. He is in the midst of a 10-match winning streak that includes the Halle title and Wimbledon victories over Alexandr Dolgopolov, Dusan Lajovic, Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, and Milos Raonic. The 18-time Grand Slam champion is the only one of the four semifinalists who has not surrendered a single set.
Berdych had been mediocre at best prior this fortnight, to the extent that he still won’t be in the top eight in the race to the World Tour Finals if he falls to Federer. But a return trip to the All-England Club was just what the doctor ordered for the world No. 15. The 2010 runner-up and 2016 semifinalist is 42-13 lifetime at this tournament and is back in the semis following defeats of Jeremy Chardy, Ryan Harrison, David Ferrer, Dominic Thiem, and Novak Djokovic–the latter via second-set retirement.
Still, Berdych has not done enough to suggest he can take down Federer, which he did in the 2010 quarterfinals before upsetting Djokovic in the semis and losing to Nadal in the title match. Only his straight-set demolition of Ferrer was a particularly impressive result, and Ferrer is a shadow of his former self at 35 years old.
Berdych’s next 35-year-old foe, on the other hand, is aging like a fine wine. The 11th seed’s favorable draw has come to an end, and his 2017 Wimbledon campaign will likely do the same on Friday.
Pick: Federer in 3
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Opening for Berdy.
That went away quickly.
Nice touch with the volley from Berdy.
Whoa! What a return! Break point!
Berdy is certainly trying here.
Fed level drops and not intimidating at all. He feels the pressure.
Berdy has a problem, he’s attacking the wrong side of Fed, should have attacked Fed’s FH wing!
Berdy is moving Fed along the baseline, that’s the right thing to do. Fed is staying in the set because of his serve, he’s tiring.
berdy might Winn this match. he is gaining confidence
He can’t if he keeps losing in the TBs!
If Federer can get through this match, it will certainly be good preparation for Cilic, as Berdych and Cilic have pretty similar style of play. The only difference, in my opinion, is that Cilic’s top level is a little better than Berdych’s…
Kevin, Fed would be physically exhausted after this match, he has to run so much in this match!
Yes, but if he gets through in straight sets it shouldn’t make too much of a difference. Anyway, I don’t think it matters where Fed’s level is at- Cilic is always going to be a very tough match for Fed.
He won’t be exhausted lol. He’s gonna win this match in straights now so this is more like a quality workout for him. I know you want him to be tired in the final but as you told me about my Muller pick, you are just hoping.
Benny…
Lucky was hoping that Berdych will take Fed out. Now that Fed is winning she is trying to find some silver lining. Lol ?
Mark, you think Berdy could take Fed out? Are you serious?? Lol!
Please don’t insult my intelligence!
Mark, judging by your post, you don’t seem too bright, esp on your speculation about others!
Hoping Berdy to beat Fed is not exactly the same thing as to believe that Berdy could take Fed out.
I said you ‘hoped'(your posts are proof of that)…did I say you ‘believed’?…
Hope you can see the difference, but frankly I don’t believe. ☺
Mark, my post said what? Is it your first time here? Read my earlier posts and see for yourself what I said about Berdy’s chances vs Fed! Please stop posting such unintelligent posts about me, if not you really confirmed that my assessment of you is correct, that you’re lacking something up there!
Lol…dear LS, you are only good at hurling personal insults..
Well…just because I think you are an idiot, do you start believing yourself to be one…
I ‘hope’ not…
Do you need more explanation?
Mark, you’re the idiot here alright! Not difficult to understand that right, even for your level of ‘intelligence’ up there, right?
Don’t ever bother me again from now on! Stop assuming what I think or trying to be smart when you’re not!
Dear Lucky, sorry.. but, I will continue to post my comments here if I feel like. If you don’t want to be bothered, please ignore my comments.
I will ignore your comments alright except those where you mention my name, simple as that! I will not tolerate false assumptions about me or about what I think! So please leave me out of all your future posts, thank you very much!
I certainly won’t want to engage in such pointless insults when I’m posting here. I don’t know why in the first place you have to provoke me in the first place, I’ve no problem with Benny when we can engage in discussions or arguments but done in cordial manner even if we don’t always agree.
Deal?
Benny, did you see how much Fed had to run in this match? Muller didn’t need to run so much, dear friend! Fed was frustrated at times dealing with Berdy’s big hitting!
It’s not the length of the match, it’s the running one has to do in the match!
I meant how you told me I was hoping when I said Muller would beat Nadal. And you are just coming up with reasons for Fed to lose. Sorry it’s true. Rafa runs a bunch in pretty much every match but I know for a fact you wouldn’t say Rafa will be tired in the final from this match if he was in Fed’s position. Fed will be fresh in the final and there’s literally no evidence to suggest against that. He’s played the least amount of sets you can play to make a final and has moved extremely well in every match. AND HE WON THREE FIVE SETTERS IN MELBOURNE!! Fed with the energy level he had in Melbourne final will win the final on Sunday and he should be WAY more energized than he was there.
Benny, you want to compare Fed to Rafa in terms of fitness?? You forget that in AO2009 final, that Fed reached the final without losing a set, but Rafa had a long five sets match in the SF with one less day rest, yet Fed was the one in the final made to run like crazy, and by the fifth set, he was making all the errors and relented and lost.
Please don’t compare Fed’s fitness to Rafa’s, you can never win that one!
Again, you people simply are too sensitive when it comes to criticism about Fed. Fed will not get exhausted in the final when it’s a straight set match, either he wins or he loses, but its most likely it’ll go the distance to four or even five sets by which time physical fatigue may set in. I don’t see there’s anything wrong with this logic.
It’s obvious to me Fed was tiring in the match with all the running, it’s not about how many matches he played before this, it’s about the amount of energy he had to spend in the match itself. If let’s say Berdy was able to stretch Fed to go the distance, chances of a Berdy win would go higher even though he still might not win in the end. I would say the same for Cilic vs Fed in the final, it’s for Fed’s best interest that if he could, to win it in straight sets.
is it still possible for Berd to dig out from likely two sets to love.
Nope.
Fed does not look inspired. he lost to Tsonga from two sets to love, I think back in 2011. the same could still possibly happen.
If berdych was just 2% better he would of won 2nd sets instead if lose 7:4
Given Fed’s TB record, don’t expect Berdy of all people to win one against Fed! If Berdy wants to win a set, he has to break Fed’s serve and hold on to his own until the end of the set, possible but hard to do.
When Berdy needs his serve, he can’t produce a good one!
Berdy’s eyes and reflexes are just too slow; how many times he’s hitting to the direction where Fed is heading to, when it’s obvious where Fed is moving!
I think Cilic will do better than Berdy, in the final. I just hope Berdy stretches Fed here, at least gets a set for all the efforts he is putting in.
Fed up two sets to love even though he’s served quite a few double faults today, more than usual at least. For anyone hoping Berdych comes back, don’t get your hopes up lol
Fed is in amazing shape for someone closing into 40 yrs old.
Berdy is not giving up and hold his games easily for most of the latest part. chance is very small but it is there for him to make it.
The only hope that Berdych has now is to serve big and great, to hold serve easily, and tries to break Fed’s serves, hoping for Fed to start serving poorly or DF. If the match stretches longer and longer, maybe Berdy can hope that Fed gets tired physically.
Fed is really not playing well at the moment but Berdy just can’t capitalize! I hope Berdy doesn’t lose heart but keeps fighting. Fed’s level has gone down now, Berdy please find a second wind and takes advantage!
Fed will be broken here
Should I live bet on berdych to win for +1600?
wow four great serves from Fed bailed him out. that’s impressive heart of a champion
Berdych just became +2000