LONDON: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic face young and restless Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov for places in the Wimbledon final on Friday, as men’s tennis reaches a potentially game-changing moment in its history.
In the space of 24 hours at the All England Club, the big four of the game were reduced to the big two following the shock exits of Rafael Nadal and defending champion Andy Murray.
Suddenly, Dimitrov and Raonic have the opportunity to tip the balance in favour of the next generation by breaking down the door which has been frustratingly ajar for a decade.
But the odds are stacked against them.
Federer is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, the holder of a record 17 majors and will be playing in his 35th Grand Slam semi-final and ninth at the All England Club.
Djokovic’s 2011 Wimbledon title was just one of his six majors and he will be playing in his 23rd last-four at a Grand Slam and fifth in a row in London.
Dimitrov and Raonic, both 23, score nought on all of the above.
Federer will be the sentimental favourite on Friday against eighth-seeded Raonic whose quarter-final win over Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios, the shock conqueror of Nadal, was brutally effective.
“Well, he [Raonic] has a big serve,” conceded 32-year-old Federer. “Clearly, that’s what is most visible when you see him play.
“It keeps him in the match. I’ve played him in some interesting places like Halle [on grass], where we basically didn’t have any rallies whatsoever.”
Top-seeded Djokovic was runner-up to Murray 12 months ago and he takes a 3-1 lead over 11th seeded Dimitrov into their semi-final.
Dimitrov reached his first Grand Slam semi-final by defeating Murray in straight sets on Wednesday, a victory which finally allowed him to live up to the hype which had him nicknamed ‘Baby Fed’ in his junior days.
Meanwhile on the women’s front, former champion Petra Kvitova swept into her second Wimbledon final with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 victory over fellow Czech Lucie Safarova on Thursday.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2014.
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