Read Simon Cambers’s full report:
So there you have it. Three times Roger Federer found himself match point down in the fourth set; three times he found the right answers just when he most needed them. It’s been the story of his career, and it earns the Swiss his 11th appearance in the last four at Wimbledon. How much it’s taken out of him physically remains to be seen; plenty, his semi-final opponent Milos Raonic will be hoping. But that’s a question for Friday. For now, we should spare a thought for Marin Cilic, who played some brilliant tennis and, at two sets to the good, looked set fair for his first appearance in a Wimbledon semi-final. He couldn’t get over the line – Federer wouldn’t let him – and defeat at this stage for a third successive year will make the result especially hard to bear for the Croatian. That’s it from me for today, thanks for reading – and for all your emails – and enjoy Andy Murray against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
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Ecstatic, eh? I wonder how often Roger Federer has used that word to describe a victory. That will be remembered as one of the great Wimbledon comebacks.
“It was an incredible match,” Federer continues. “The last three sets were really good and, as the match went on, I was improving … my legs were there, my back was there … this is going to give me a hell of a boost. I’m ecstatic I was able to come through.”
“It was great fun playing against Marin, he’s one of the nicest guys on the tour,” says Federer, who says he is excited by the prospect of facing Milos Raonic in the last four. Reflecting on the match, he says: “On the return he was reading my serve, I couldn’t read his … it was about staying in the match.”
“Without a doubt, we are watching one of the greatest – not just tennis players – but sportsmen of all time. Never, ever doubt The Fed,” writes Jon McEnerney. You’re not kidding, John.
Game, set and match Federer!
Fifth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
What a comeback! Having stared defeat in the face and decided he didn’t much fancy it, Roger Federer is through to his 11th Wimbledon semi-final. A final, triumphant ace provides the cue for Federer to thrust his arms aloft in victory. But pity Marin Cilic; a semi-final place seemed his for the taking, but it was prised from his grasp.
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Fifth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 5-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
“You’re a genius, Roger!” cries a spectator as Federer conjures another wonderful backhand pass down the line at 0-30. Poor footwork from Cilic on the next point leads to a forehand error from the Croatian, and it’s 30-30. Federer then whips a superb forehand pass beyond Cilic to bring up break point and, although the Croatian hits back with a forehand winner of his own, at deuce the Swiss finds another sweeping, unanswerable forehand to bring up another. Incredible. The gauntlet thrown, Cilic stoops to accept – only to send a forehand fractionally wide. Federer to serve for the match.
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Fifth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
Anything you can do, Marin. Federer sends down a 124mph ace to hold. Meanwhile, over on Court One, Milos Raonic has won in four against Sam Querrey and Tomas Berdych has just started his quarter-final against Lucas Pouille.
Fifth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 3-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Another breathtaking backhand pass – struck at at full tilt, yet guided down the line with an almost tender touch – carries Federer to 15-30 on the Cilic serve. The Croatian claws himself back to 30-30 only for Federer to land another mighty blow off the backhand wing, the scurrying Cilic unable to get the ball back in play. Break point. Cilic, though, as he has done so often this afternoon, finds his best serving when it matters. Much to Federer’s frustration, the ninth seed hits back to see out the game with a 123mph ace.
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Fifth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 2-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
What better way to celebrate the passing of the three-hour mark than to fire down a 122mph ace? Roger clearly thinks there’s none, because that’s just what he does. “Fantastic match,” writes Dino Holmes. “That tie-break was SO tense. I wouldn’t be able to hold a racket. It is physical chess we’re watching … grandmaster stuff.” Couldn’t have put it better, Dino.
Fifth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 2-2 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Understandably, after the drama of the previous set, the energy out on Centre Court has ebbed somewhat. That goes for the crowd as well as the players. You get the sense that everyone is steeling themselves for one final push. And, as Cilic holds to stay on terms, it won’t be long in the coming. Which way will it go?
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Fifth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 2-1 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer concludes a sturdy hold in summary fashion, snuffing out a brief exchange of backhands with the deftest of drop shots. Now there’s a man whose wits are still very much about him.
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Fifth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 1-1 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Cilic holds for 1-1. After the nail-biting tension of that dazzling fourth set, the tempo of the match has eased a little. It feels like everyone is still taking in what they’ve just seen.
Fifth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 1-0 Cilic (*denotes server)
A break in the opening game of the fifth would have been very much what the doctor ordered for Cilic. He comes close, reaching deuce, but it’s Federer who takes the lead in the match, knifing a sliced backhand into the turf to draw a backhand error from Cilic.
Roger Federer wins the fourth set 7-6 to level the match!
Amazing, astonishing, remarkable. Cilic fires what looks an unstoppable backhand down to Federer’s forehand corner. Somehow, though, the Swiss scrambles the ball back into play, and finally Cilic breaks down, driving the ball into the alley. Set point Federer again at 10-9. And this time it proves decisive: on the next point, Cilic misses a forehand to leave us all square after two hours and 44 minutes of unrelenting drama!
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A brief, cagey rally ensues, won by Cilic when Federer drags a forehand into the net. 9-9 as they change ends again.
The Swiss works his way forward again, but Cilic finds a wonderful backhand pass down the line. 8-8. Goran looks like he’s about to eat his fist. And he may just do that, because now Federer has set point on his own serve at 9-8!
No way! Federer works his way to the net with some wily play, and stabs away a backhand volley to reach set point …
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Cilic slams down an unanswerable serve. It’s 7-6 in the Croatian’s favour. A third match point. But he nets a forehand return off another ridiculously fast Federer second serve. 7-7.
What do you do at 1-0 down in a tiebreak? Why, bang down an 111mph second serve, of course. That one leaves Goran slumped in his seat. But at 1-1 another Federer shank gives Cilic a mini-break. Federer hits back as his opponent goes long: 2-2. Big serves from both players: 3-3. They change ends. The tension is palpable. Federer sends down a violently sliced first serve, wide to the deuce court, for 4-3. Then, more drama: a backhand return is called long, but it’s close enough to challenge. Turns out it clipped the line! Good old Hawk-Eye. 5-3 Federer. Defiantly, Cilic slaps a forehand winner. But a mistake on the next point gives Federer two set points at 6-4. He misses the first, on his own serve, with a mistimed forehand approach. Then Cilic slams down an ace. My goodness, this is tense …
Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-6 Cilic (*denotes server)
It’s Cilic’s turn to enjoy some luck as a net cord gets him to 15-30 on the Federer serve. The Swiss hits back only to miscue a backhand on the next point. Match point again for Cilic. But Federer refuses to give in. His serve gets him back in the game, and a cool-as-you-like drop shot that he follows in to the net paves the way for the tiebreak when Cilic goes long. Utterly compelling theatre.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 5-6 Cilic* (*denotes server)
The gods smile on Federer when he shanks an off backhand for a clean winner on the opening point. Cilic counters to reach 15-15, but Federer then fires a forehand winner for 15-30. Cilic responds in kind. There’s no quarter given or asked here. A dramatic baseline exchange at 30-30 is won by Cilic with a forehand so powerful that Roger almost ends up doing the splits to retrieve it. He makes it, but the reply barely clears the net and Cilic guides it away. Another rumbling off forehand from Cilic on game point draws the mistake from Federer, and the former champion’s resolve will be tested again.
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Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 5-5 Cilic (*denotes server)
Are second serves edible? I think they must be, because Cilic absolutely devours a 105mph second serve from Federer on the opening point, slamming the ball with frightening velocity. At 30-30, he does the same off a backhand, sending Federer sliding to his right. Match point to the Croatian. But he can’t find the court off another second serve from Federer, who quickly recovers to stay alive. The tension is almost unimaginable.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 4-5 Cilic* (*denotes server)
A reminder that on Court One, Milos Raonic is in action against Sam Querrey. The Canadian is two sets to one up and you can follow that one here. Frankly, though, I wouldn’t go anywhere just yet. Because Cilic has just held and that means Federer will have to serve to stay in the match.
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Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 4-4 Cilic (*denotes server)
On the opening point, Federer sends his opponent flailing fruitlessly to his left with a penetrating serve down the middle. Still his wife, Mirka, looks pensive up in Federer’s box. Perhaps he senses it, because he races through the remainder of the game with the frantic air of a man who has a bus to catch. We’re level again.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 3-4 Cilic* (*denotes server)
“These guys are frighteningly good!” writes Dean Kinsellla. “Andy has still got a lot of great tennis to play to win this championship.” I should say, Dean. That last serve from Cilic, all 132mph of it, threatened the integrity of Roger Federer’s left hip. The quality from both men is simply breathtaking.
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Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 3-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
Can this match never end? Please don’t let it end. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall seeing better tennis – with both players competing at or near the very top of their respective games – over the past fortnight, certainly not in the men’s draw at least. Federer underlines the quality on show with a second service ace on game point to draw level once more.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 2-3 Cilic*(*denotes server)
Sometimes, the merest trick of the racket head, the most fleeting of contact between strings and ball, is enough. Hell, if you’re Roger Federer it’s often more than enough. And it certainly is on the second point here, the Swiss flicking an audacious backhand winner down the line. He repeats the trick with a booming backhand drive at 15-30, and from nowhere he has two break points. How does Cilic respond? Why, with four consecutive aces of course. Goran – who pretty much invented that trick – looks on approvingly. Extraordinary serving from the Croatian.
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Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 2-2 Cilic (*denotes server)
Frustration from Federer as he responds to steering a forehand wide at 15-15 with a swish of his racket. He probably feels a lot worse when he mistimes a backhand on the next point to gift Cilic two break points. He saves the first with a cracking body serve that Cilic fails to negotiate on his forehand, and the second with a 106mph – 106mph! – second serve. A Cilic groundstroke error brings up game point, and Federer thumps down a 120mph ace – unsuccessfully challenged by Cilic – to stay on level terms. Brilliant recovery play from the seven-time champion.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 1-2 Cilic* (*denotes server)
“I think I’m right in saying that if Federer goes out, this will be the first Grand Slam since the 2004 French Open in which not one of Federer, Nadal nor Djokovic made it to the last four,” writes Greg Phillips. You may well be right, Greg. If so, that’s food for thought. Is the old order finally changing? Cilic would like to think so as he holds again.
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Fourth set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 1-1 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer responds with a swift hold. It’s nip and tuck.
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Fourth set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 0-1 Cilic* (*denotes server)
The psychological balance of this match is poised on a knife edge. Cilic, who holds by pouncing on a weak return at 40-30 to strike an unanswerable forehand into the open court, knows he has the beating of Federer. He has the shots, he has the lead, and he has the knowledge that he has beaten the Swiss on the big stage before. But right now, Federer has the momentum and the crowd. You simply can’t take your eyes off the action.
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Federer wins the third set 6-3! Cilic leads by two sets to one
Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 6-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
Oh, Roger, you old smoothie. Having claimed his first break of the match, the Swiss maestro steers home the silkiest of backhand winners on set point. What timing. What a player. What a contest!
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Third set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 5-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Ladies and gentlemen, Roger Federer is in the building! As the Swiss looks to carry on from where he left off in the previous game, Goran Ivanisevic wears a worried look up in the players’ box. He has just cause, for his man is 0-30 down and the Centre Court crowd is really getting behind Federer. Cilic hits back with some thunderous serving, hitting the 136mph point at one stage. But Federer, buoyed by a suddenly electric atmosphere, works his way to a rare break point, and Cilic double-faults. Game on.
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Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 4-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
Blimey. Is Marin Cilic actually Thor in disguise? I think he might be. He’s sending down absolute thunderbolts off his forehand side, hammering the ball past Federer at frightening velocity. Amid the onslaught, a shellshocked Federer falls 0-40 behind. The Centre Court crowd gasps. There’s an awed silence around the old arena; people can barely believe what they’re seeing from Cilic. What they see next is rather more familiar, however: a brilliant Federer fightback, his full dazzling repertoire on display as he claws his way back to hold, roaring in triumph as he goes. Could this be the start of something?
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Third set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 3-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
He may be two sets down, but you still have to stand and admire Roger Federer at times. At 40-0 on the Cilic serve, the Croatian moves like the proverbial gazelle to run down a short ball. How he gets there I’ll never know, but he does. Momentarily taken aback, Federer responds by reaching behind him to flick a backhand half-volley for a winner. It might be his last hurrah, but still – what a shot.
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Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 3-2 Cilic (*denotes server)
“Hi Les,” writes John McEnerney. “This wasn’t in the script: no Novak in the quarter-finals and Federer two sets down. We could say, “Let’s see what this Federer lad has,” but we know what he’s got. But this may be a tad too much, even for the GOAT.” I hear you, John. This may prove a challenge too far for the great man. Still, serving first in this set should help him, always assuming he can keep his nose in front – which he does here with something to spare.
Third set: Federer 6-7, 4-6, 2-2 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Remember Federer’s “Sabr” – that’ll be “sneak attack by Roger”, for those who don’t speak acronym – routine at last year’s US Open? Well, he tries one here and it reaps dividends in the form of an outright winner. That lays the foundations for him to reach break point and, although Cilic denies him the breakthrough with some more mammoth serving, it perhaps offers a clue as to what he could do differently to make a greater impression off the return. Not that making an impression with 130mph bombs coming your way is easy, mind.
Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 2-1 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer moves ahead again, thanks largely to his 10th and 11th aces. But a sinew-straining rally that has both players at full stretch offers some idea of what the Swiss is up against, with Cilic demonstrating his extraordinary wingspan to lunge for a forehand and guide it home. There’s danger at every turn here for Federer.
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Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 1-1 Cilic (*denotes server)
The Cilic tempest continues, an ace drawing him level. Another service game, another easy hold. Hard to see what Federer can do here.
Third set: Federer* 6-7, 4-6, 1-0 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer looks as relaxed as ever as he opens his third-set account, but beneath the calm exterior there must be turmoil. This is New York all over again, with Cilic blowing the Swiss away.
Cilic wins the second set 6-4!
Second set: Federer 6-7, 4-6 Cilic* (*denotes server)
A scorching forehand return from Federer earns him the opening point and a potentially promising platform for a break. He looks poised to make further headway on the next point, drawing a weak volley from Cilic with some more brilliant return play. Remarkably, though, he fires an attempted backhand pass into the net with the court at his mercy. It’s a key moment and both men know it. Cilic doesn’t look remotely like faltering, and he sees out the set with some meaty serving. My oh my.
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Second set: Federer* 6-7, 4-5 Cilic (*denotes server)
With only an hour and 11 minutes gone, Federer should have plenty left in the tank to turn this around if he can get back on terms. But physical factors won’t come into play unless he can solve the riddle of the Cilic serve. In the meantime, he can only stay solid on his own delivery, and he does just that here.
Second set: Federer 6-7, 3-5 Cilic*(*denotes server)
No signs of a let-up by Cilic, who is really in the zone just now. Federer is making next to no impression against the serve, and that needs to change fast if he’s to keep his semi-final ambitions alive.
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Second set: Federer* 6-7, 3-4 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer holds in spite of some more humongous hitting from Cilic. He’s hanging on, the Swiss, but only just.
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Second set: Federer 6-7, 2-4 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Boom! A big ace from Cilic seals a rapid-fire hold from the Croatian, who is growing in stature by the minute.
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Second set: Federer* 6-7, 2-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
“I think Cilic’s lack of celebration on beating Roger Federer to the first set on Centre Court probably points out that he isn’t here to win the set or the match,” writes Adam Hirst. “He’s thinking that the trophy is within his reach this year.” I think you’re right, Adam. His belief is writ large here. Thoughts of victory will have to wait a while yet, though, because Federer has just hit one hell of a backhand volley behind his first serve, steering the ball deep from his shoelaces to stay in the second-set hunt.
Second set: Federer 6-7, 1-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Nervous much, Marin? Having forged ahead in the previous game, the ninth seed starts his next service tentatively and quickly finds himself 0-30 down. He recovers well, but at deuce he goes wide with an off forehand – wasting a challenge in the process, because you could’ve seen it was wide from Wimbledon High Street – to cough up a break point. But Federer has failed to take his chances in this match and does so again. Cilic stays solid and consolidates the hold when Federer nets a backhand off a kicking, 92mph second serve. Worrying moments for the seven-time champion.
Second set: Federer* 6-7, 1-2 Cilic (*denotes server)
If one may be permitted to borrow a line from the great Dan Maskell, “Ooh I say!” At 0-30, Federer is in deep, deep trouble. Cilic backs him up into his backhand corner with a huge shot, and the Swiss looks to change direction with the backhand, just about finding the line. Still, he’s living dangerously and Cilic knows it. The Croatian maintains the baseline barrage and it reaps dividends when Federer drives long at 30-40. He’s a set and a break behind and in real trouble now.
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Second set: Federer 6-7, 1-1 Cilic* (*denotes server)
As we hit the 50-minute mark, Cilic hits back with a quick hold, sealing the game with a crisp forehand volley.
Second set: Federer* 6-7, 1-0 Cilic (*denotes server)
Federer seals the opening game of the set with a nice drop volley, but he’ll feel hard done by after losing the first set, particularly after winning 80% of the points behind his first serve. All he can do is stay focused and concentrate on the game in hand, a mission he completes with aplomb.
Cilic wins the first set 7-6 (7-4)!
First set: Federer 6-7 (4-7) Cilic (*denotes server)
What a tiebreak from Cilic, who claims the opening set! The Croatian draws first blood when Federer mistimes a topspin backhand on the opening point. Cilic follows up with a lovely backhand return that he pursues into t, forcing Federer to rush – and net – an attempted backhand pass. 2-0. A 106mph forehand gives Cilic a double mini-break, and two unreturnable serves make it 5-0. Irresistible play from the ninth seed. Federer steadies the ship by holding two successive service points for 5-2, but a Cilic ace brings up four set points. The Swiss defends well to claw back the first against the Cilic serve, and follows up with some fine baseline attacking behind a big first serve for 6-4. But after a brief baseline exchange, a Federer sliced backhand drifts long and Cilic has the set.
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First set: Federer* 6-6 Cilic (*denotes server)
Why bother getting to the ball early when you can just drift to your left and casually flick a backhand pass beyond your stranded opponent, the ball almost behind you? Why indeed. Federer goes for the latter option en route to a routine hold. We’re heading for a tiebreak.
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First set: Federer 5-6 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Having experimented with the sliced backhand, Federer is now coming over the ball with increasing frequency. Perhaps he feels that matching Cilic for aggression will be the key here. Judging by the 131mph ace the Croatian thunders past him at 40-0, he could be right.
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First set: Federer* 5-5 Cilic (*denotes server)
Two crushing aces from 30-15, one delivered wide to the ad court and the other a 126mph effort down the “T” to the deuce court, complete a straightforward hold for Federer.
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First set: Federer 4-5 Cilic* (*denotes server)
At 15-15, Federer puts on a passable impression of the Interflora man, rising to hit an extravagantly beautiful backhand smash. The back looks fine. Cilic, meanwhile, can’t be bothered with aesthetics, so he pounds down a few big serves – including a lovely body serve at 40-15 that jams the Federer backhand – and moves to within a game of the set.
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First set: Federer* 4-4 Cilic (*denotes server)
The Cilic “boom” may have been very much on Federer’s mind before this match, but right now it’s the Swiss who is bringing the heat. A couple of beauties to the deuce court, swung wide to the Cilic forehand, bring two more aces for Federer and an easy hold. Both men are looking more than secure with ball in hand, much as expected.
First set: Federer 3-4 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Up in the stands, the watching David Beckham adjusts his coiffure. Down on the court, Cilic has other things to worry about, failing to find enough on a backhand down the line to leave Federer with an easy putaway into the open court. The Croatian recovers, though, seeing out the game with a big-serve, big-forehand routine. Still. Careful, Marin.
First set: Federer* 3-3 Cilic (*denotes server)
This may not be entirely service-dominated, but it’s certainly first-hit tennis. Whoever gets his opponent off balance first – and for obvious reasons, it’s generally the server – tends to win the point. The rallies are brief, which makes concentration vital. Here, Cilic fires a warning shot across the Federer bows with a bruising forehand winner, but Federer finds enough on serve to keep the Croatian at bay. He holds to 30.
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First set: Federer 2-3 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Up in the players’ box, Goran strokes his beard in concerned fashion. You can see why, because a wayward backhand from Cilic at 15-30 brings up two break points for Federer. Cilic is equal to the challenge, however, hitting the 130mph mark as he works his way back with some heavy serving. Interesting game, though. Federer is going to the sliced backhand a fair bit so far, cutting the ball low to the Cilic forehand and forcing the Croatian to hit up on the ball. That could be a good tactic if Cilic is suffering from any early nerves.
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First set: Federer* 2-2 Cilic (*denotes server)
Silk and steel from the Swiss as he claims the first point with an elegant backhand pass and the second with a spontaneous rush of power. Cilic clumps a hefty forehand to get a foothold in the game before Federer overcooks his own forehand, slamming the ball into the net. But a penetrating serve from Federer lays the foundation for a comfortable hold, the Swiss sealing the game to 30.
First set: Federer 1-2 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Federer has a couple of opportunities to get those fluent groundstrokes of his going, but it’s early days and the timing isn’t there just yet. A backhand drifts into the alley on the opening point, a forehand is screwed wide on the second, and a couple of aces from Cilic ensure another comfortable hold for the ninth seed. Much as we expected at this point.
First set: Federer* 1-1 Cilic (*denotes server)
Swift stuff, this. Federer opens with two aces en route to a love hold of his own, and it’s very much a case of anything you can do. Even stevens.
First set: Federer 0-1 Cilic* (*denotes server)
Cilic starts well despite struggling to find the court with his first serve. That’s less of a problem when your second serve travels at 112mph, as it does at 40-0. Federer nets a forehand return, perhaps understandably, and Cilic is up and running.
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Play is about to start. Cilic will get us underway …
The players have emerged from the bowels of Centre Court to be greeted by brilliant sunshine and warm applause. Meanwhile, Emanuel Gonzalez writes: “I feel Roger is a bit underrated this year … I am not sure Andy Murray will brush him off the court in a possible final. Your opinion on this?” I agree on all counts, Emanuel. Murray’s sustained excellence this year has been such that he seems a natural favourite for the title now that Djokovic is out, especially since Federer has played very little tennis due to injury. But clearly it would be foolhardy to overlook the claims of the Swiss. And there’s no chance it’ll be a Murray procession should the two men meet in Sunday’s final.
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So what should we expect? Well, some pretty meaty serving, for starters. Yet this won’t just be a contest to see who can hit the most aces. Both players have formidable deliveries, but neither relies on out-and-out pace. Instead, the emphasis will be on accuracy, depth and variety, with the two players staying in the 125-130mph range and looking to keep each other guessing. They’re no slouches on the return, either. Andy Murray was at pains to talk up the quality of the Cilic return before their final at Queen’s Club, saying: “He is a big guy, has a big reach on the returns. He is a good returner. If you look at his stats, often he returns the first serve well throughout the year across all of the surfaces. He’s got good timing on the returns.” Federer, meanwhile, whose playing credentials hardly require introduction, has taken down servers of the quality of Mark Philippoussis and Andy Roddick (twice) in Wimbledon finals. His return game is perhaps underestimated, what with the excellence of Murray and Djokovic in that department, but you don’t achieve what Federer has without having one of the best returns in the game’s history. Expect the players to look to hang tough on serve, make the best of whatever opportunities they can conjure against the serve, and attack the backhand side – the weaker wing for both men – from the baseline.
As you might expect, given that it’s men’s quarter-finals day, Federer and Cilic aren’t the only show in town. The Court One programme begins with a battle of the giants between Sam Querrey, the 6ft 6in, Djokovic-slaying world No41, and the 6ft 5in, sixth-seeded Milos Raonic. You can follow the ace-by-ace action in that one right here with Bryan Armen Graham. They’ll be followed by Tomas Berdych, the 10th seed and former finalist, who takes on the 30th-ranked Frenchman Lucas Pouille – who had never won a match on grass before arriving in SW19 – for a place in the last four. Oh, and some guy called Andy Murray will take to Centre Court once Federer and Cilic are done. The second seed plays the ever-stylish Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
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Preamble
Good afternoon and welcome. If you were looking for a potential upset at the All England Club today, you might just alight on the Centre Court showdown between Roger Federer, the seven-time champion, and Marin Cilic, the big-serving ninth seed, as the likeliest candidate. The last time they met in anger, at the US Open in 2014, Federer was – in his own words – blown off the court. Recalling that encounter, in fact, the word that came most readily to the former world No1’s mind was “boom”. “Everything he touched went in,” Federer reflected after his fourth-round win over Steve Johnson. “I don’t know. It was all right, here is a chance, boom. Maybe here is another chance, boom. That’s kind of how it was for three straight sets.” And by all accounts, the Cilic boom machine hasn’t stopped motoring. “I practised with him when I arrived here at Wimbledon,” continued the Swiss. “He was playing great. One-two, one-two, one-two, serving, boom, forehand, serving, boom, backhand.”
Now, a lesser man might be perturbed by the thought of all that booming. But Federer doesn’t do lesser; he’s all about the more. In fact, the greedy so-and-so has his sights set on another title in SW19. Asked what goals he had left in tennis, the winner of a record 17 majors replied: “I hope there is a bit more in tennis. I hope I can win Wimbledon one more time. That would be nice.” Nice? NICE?? When a tennis player describes the prospect of winning Wimbledon in the same terms you or I might describe a sunset or a cup of tea, you know he’s in no danger of getting carried away with things. Could he do it again?
Well, he’ll have to find a way past Cilic first, and that is unlikely to be easy. Admittedly the Croatian had a chequered start to the year, arriving at Queen’s Club with only four more wins than losses to his name. But he loves a grass court, does Cilic, and made it all the way through to the semi-finals in Baron’s Court, extending Andy Murray to three tough sets. In former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic he has the A-list coach that has become de rigueur in the men’s game, and he’s dropped only one set so far, against Sergiy Stakhovsky, the Ukrainian who dumped Federer out in the second round three summers ago with a spectacular exhibition of serve-and-volley tennis. That’s one more set than Federer has dropped so far, of course. But if Cilic can find his best tennis against the former champion, we should get a definitive answer as to how well Federer’s body is bearing up after the back injury that recently forced him to miss the French Open. We should be in for a treat.
Play starts: 1pm.
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