Earning a second life at Wimbledon after coming back from two sets down against Marin Cilic in the quarters, Roger Federer will meet Milos Raonic on Friday. The winner will play either Andy Murray or Tomas Berdych in the final.
Roger Federer and Milos Raonic will be facing each other for the 12th time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Wimbledon title match on Friday.
Federer is dominating the head-to-head series 9-2, including 2-0 on grass and 1-0 at Wimbledon. They also squared off in the semifinals at the All-England Club two years ago, when the Swiss cruised 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Raonic had been an especially futile 1-9 against Federer before prevailing 6-4, 6-4 early this season to capture the Brisbane title.
The first five months of 2016 were nothing short of an injury-plagued disaster for the 34-year-old, but he appears to be heating up at just the right time. On the heels of unspectacular semifinal finishes in Stuttgart and Halle, Federer now finds himself in the Wimbledon semis for the 11th time in his illustrious career. The seven-time champion rolled over Guido Pella, Marcus Willis, Daniel Evans, and Steve Johnson before staging an epic comeback against Marin Cilic on Wednesday that featured three match-point saves en route to a 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 triumph.
“I prefer to be here than booking a jet,” Federer said after his close call versus Cilic. “I’ll tell you that. For me, I’m very pleased…. Today was epic. (I’m) probably going to look back at this as being a great, great match that I played in my career, on Centre Court here at Wimbledon…. This is huge for me, my season, my career. I’m very, very happy. I think I’m playing good tennis, too.”
Raonic took his turn surviving the brink of defeat during fourth-round action on Monday, when he outlasted David Goffin 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. That was preceded by much more routine defeats of Pablo Carreno Busta, Andreas Seppi, and Jack Sock, and it was followed by a 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Sam Querrey.
“I look forward to it a lot,” Raonic assured. “(It’s) definitely a great opportunity. Two years have passed since I played him here in the semifinals. I’m happy that I have another shot at him…. Probably from the mental side, I’ll look at what I wouldn’t want to repeat from two years ago.”
With Federer two years older and Raonic much-improved, mentally tougher, and tactically sounder since that 2014 encounter, a much more competitive contest should be in the cards. But Federer is 10-0 lifetime in Wimbledon semifinal matches and that is a record that cannot be discounted even though much of it was compiled during the prime of his career. The world No. 3 is likely to make it 11-0 by scoring another win over an opponent whom he has mostly owned.
Pick: Federer in 4
[polldaddy poll=9464279]
Fed will break for 3-4.
#NID
Miloss should have broken there. Sense a break coming
Fed will break from 40-0 down.
40-15
After the fall, Fed is gone!
No. Too much pressure and biased crowd will be Milos’ downfall serving for the match.
I’ve seen this movie too many times.
Novak Djokovic @DjokerNole 41s42 seconds ago
Excellent cooked variation of my favorite raw dish made by @JacobsCreek at ‘Our table’ dinner
Miloshh held but I am sure he will be broken serving for the match 🙁
you and me both vmk1. 🙁
#HowManyTimes!!!!
Mahesh Bhupathi @Maheshbhupathi (TSN Reporter)
@milosraonic has transformed himself into one of the best volleyers on tour…#Amazing #McEnroe #outoftheblue
Raonic -1250 to win the 9th set; Fed +415
Curtains.
*9th game of 5th set
Will be surprised if Milos wins first point of the game
Fed will break here.
#18NID
will be surprised if he wins pt 2
wil be shocked if he wins pt 3
Will be gobsmacked if he wins the match :O
Another game for Milosh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gB-d0JxW2Y
The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh. All he had to do was hold and get to TB. Ughhh
Vamos Carlos Moyà! ✌
Congrats Raonic for the win.
This has to hurt!! Both physically and emotionally!!
Ah Roger! Hope that knee is OK!!
Congratulations to Milos for hanging in there in the 4th and finally getting it done in the 5th! Hope that he can repeat that performance in the final.
Commies to abhirf, best fedfan on-line.
Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaamos Milooooooooooooosh! 🙂 🙂
I guess it right again
Well. Congrats to the Raonic fans and condolences to the FedHeads. (There’s a reason 34 yo’s don’t win majors but it was a lovely dream for a little while.)