Roger Federer avoids Big Four plague
— -- LONDON -- After a 24-hour period of tremors and scares for the Big Four of men's tennis, the man who emerged with the least damage is the founding member of the sport's leading band: Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal exited in four sets against a teenage wild card Tuesday evening. Defending champion Andy Murray didn't even get to a fourth set in his loss to Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday afternoon. Novak Djokovic slipped and fell often on his way to falling behind two sets to one against Marin Cilic later Wednesday before righting himself to close out the Croatian in five.
Federer wasn't immune to the dangers. He lost his serve and the first set of his quarterfinal against Stan Wawrinka on Centre Court. But he rebounded to take the next three sets, gaining confidence and precision as the match wore on, to reach his ninth Wimbledon semifinal. Federer outclassed a dangerous opponent in defending Aussie champ Wawrinka, the third-ranked player in the world who was undefeated in six prior matches against top-10 players this year.
Federer will bring an 8-0 record in Wimbledon semis into his Friday encounter against Milos Raonic, who is making his first final appearance in any major. Federer has dropped just one set this fortnight. With no Nadal or Murray in his path and Djokovic looking vulnerable, Federer might just be the favorite to win his eighth Wimbledon title and 18th Grand Slam title.
Earlier on Wednesday, five former Australian greats held a news conference touting Nick Kyrgios, Nadal's conqueror Tuesday, as the future of tennis. Federer, who is nearly 14 years older than Kyrgios, beat Wawrinka playing a throwback style that would have pleased Rod Laver & Co., not to mention Federer's coach, the great volleyer Stefan Edberg.
Federer charged the net, often behind low, deep slices, and won 71 percent of his forays forward. He threw in a wide variety of first and second serves, often flummoxing Wawrinka with placement and spin more than speed. He used the short slice to summon crucial errors from his opponent. He took the ball on the rise at the baseline, often essentially half-volleying Wawrinka's booming shots. He clinched the second and third sets by serving and volleying on set point each time.
Federer showed that his tennis tactics remain effective and relevant on Wimbledon's lawns, even at this stage when the baseline grass has died and left only dirt behind.
For most of the first two sets, Wawrinka matched Federer blow for blow. Wawrinka this year has been at his most dangerous in the biggest matches against the best players. Despite his poor Wimbledon record before this year, he looked worthy of being the top-ranked Swiss man by getting the better of Federer early in baseline exchanges from both wings. He often took the net away from Federer by charging forward before his opponent could, earning lots of easy points by approaching to Federer's backhand.
