WIMBLEDON: Roger Federer overcame an early scare to reach his 13th Wimbledon semi-final after fighting from behind to defeat Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
The 20-time grand slam champion headed into the match as the clear favorite but was wary of the challenge he faced. Highlighted by his loss to Nishikori at the ATP Finals last year. Dropping only his second set of the tournament, the 37-year-old dug hard to prevail with the help of 12 aces and 54 winners. What was even more crucial was Federer’s ability to win 78% of his service points (58/74) after dropping the first set.
“That was difficult. The beginning was brutal.” Federer told BBC TV. “Kei came out and was smashing return winners and I had to make some adjustments. Stay with him and try to turn around the first set. I had some small changes, but Kei was the better player.”
“I just think in the end I served really good. I was able to protect my serve (after the first set) and it was a good serving performance against a great returner,” he added.
Separated by 20 grand slam titles on the tour, it was the lesser decorated Nishikori that started the stronger of the two. Taking advantage of a tentative start from Federer, the eighth seed broke immediately at the start of the match. Nishikori’s game plan of hitting the ball deep to force his rival on the offensive prevented Federer from gaining any rhythm. Enabling him to go on to snatch the opener with the help of a deep shot. Prompting silence around Center Court.
Only once before had Federer come back from a set down to defeat Nishikori in their 10-match head-to-head. That was at their first grand slam meeting back at the 2017 French Open. Hoping to replicate that at the All England Club, an elevation in Federer’s service quality and speed allowed him to race through the second set in just 23 minutes. Dealing a massive blow to Nishikori and his team watching.
Reviving his match hopes, Federer continued to carefully tame his tricky opponent on the court. With little to distinguish between the two, Federer finally scored his breakthrough seven games into the third set. A deep forehand from the Swiss Maestro landed almost perfectly on the baseline as he broke for 4-3 to lead the match for the first time. In the driving seat, Federer sealed the two-set lead with the help of a forehand smash at the net.
Closing in on his 100th victory at the tournament, which no other player in history has achieved at a grand slam, Federer struck once again. Sitting at 4-4 in the fourth frame, a Nishikori forehand sailed beyond the baseline. Gifting Federer another break and this time the chance to serve the match out. Something he achieved with a love service game that ended with a second service ace.
Federer will play either Rafael Nadal or Sam Querrey in the semi-finals. His 45th at grand slam level.
“ You can dive into all that tactics like maths for two days or you can say ‘you know what it’s grass-court tennis and I’m just gonna come out there and play attacking tennis,’” Federer commented about his upcoming semi-final.
“If he can defend that’s too good. If he can’t that good for me. I go about it like any other match because that it how tennis players do it.”
According to IBM, who is the official data supplied at Wimbledon, Federer needs to hit seven aces in his next match to break the all-time record. It is currently held by Goran Ivanisevic, who produced 1397 aces during his career at the grand slam.
