Federer made no mistake from the point on, closing out the match and receiving a standing ovation from an appreciative Australia Day crowd. With Nadal and Federer seeking their first Grand Slams since 2014 and 2012, respectively, we might be witnessing the beginning of the Tennis Olds Renaissance. The second men’s semi-final is between Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic.
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The oddsmakers seem to agree, as the 35-year-old enters as a slight favorite over his compatriot.
“It feels unbelievable”, Federer said. I think he gave me a cheap break in the fifth. He wrote me a letter again this week to wish me well again. I opened his academy previous year. But here is Federer with his own chance at 18, continuing a career of wonderful grace, once again playing as attractive a game of tennis as any man or woman has ever played. “To be in the same breath like these guys, it’s a great feeling”.
As you would expect from the fourth seed, Wawrinka turned the match on its head, piling on victor after winner from the baseline.
Roger gets a full two days to recover, which I’m sure he’ll cherish as the oldest man in a Grand Slam final since Ken Rosewall in 1974. This was a match in fits and starts, with each player taking their turn to string some points together, with Federer seizing the last few to claim a spot in the final.
“It’s really unbelievable. I’m so proud of Mirjana”.
“Everything happened so quickly at the end”.
“It feels unbelievable. I never felt in my wildest dreams I would be coming this far in Australia”. Federer raced out to a 5-0 lead and won the first set in 19 minutes, one minute shy of the tournament low.
Now he is, though, the mindset changes and he will take an 18-3 record into his semi-final with Wawrinka, who dispatched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 yesterday.
In the third, he broke Federer’s serve on two occasions to win 6-1.
Wawrinka carried a knee injury into the match and had it strapped during a medical timeout after smashing his racket in a rage on losing the second set.
Now in saying this, I don’t think anyone expected Federer to be an easy beat this year.
Looking in form as imperious as in his heyday of a decade ago despite missing the back half of last season after knee surgery, Federer is now one match away from a potential final against his old rival Rafa Nadal.
Roger Federer survived an all-Swiss thriller to push his incredible run all the way to the Australian Open final on Thursday, as Serena and Venus Williams clinched a dream women’s decider.
“Maybe we can play a charity match”, Federer said to Nadal. We’ve had some epic battles over the years.
“I like to watch Federer playing but I don’t want too much to be playing against him in the final”.
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“If someone would have told me I’d play in the semis against Stan, never would I have called that one for me”, Federer said. “It’s a very special tournament for us already”.
