Tsonga, who has a huge serve and a forehand to match, consistently attacked the net, played some lovely volleys and hit some stunning winners on the run.
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In an era of commodified, prepackaged athlete farewell tours, Federer’s latest Wimbledon run feels refreshingly organic.
Despite not showing the same sort of blistering form that saw Liam Broady, Yen-Hsun Lu, John Millman and Nick Kyrgios all brushed aside easily, Murray gained the mental advantage and looked as if he was speeding to the finishing line by only giving up a single game en route to taking a 2-0 lead. “Is it that bad?” “I made the most of it”. “If you’re in that position in the next couple of matches, you know you’ve been there”. “Hopefully I can win a couple more, and that’s it”.
Murray will face 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych on Friday.
Rather than his experience of beating Monfils before losing to Cilic, Federer drew comparison with his French Open win over Tommy Haas in 2009, when he also escaped from two sets down and went on to lift the title. Federer, 34, coming off knee and back injuries that forced him to miss the French Open, hadn’t played a five-setter since the quarterfinals of the 2014 U.S. Open when he similarly dug his way out of an 0-2 hole.
Murray broke in the fifth game of the fourth set, only for Tsonga to respond in kind.
Murray, the 2013 champion, won the first two sets 7-6 (10), 6-1, but Tsonga responded by winning the next two 6-3, 6-4.
Federer saved match points when serving at 4-5 and at 5-6. Two years have passed since I played him here in the semifinals. It was little wonder that the earth shook under Centre Court as 15,000 hollering fans jumped to their feet to greet Federer’s astonishing 6-7 (4) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (9) 6-3 victory that kept alive the Swiss maestro’s dreams of an eighth Wimbledon trophy. Those were the shots, Cilic said, he regretted the most. Of course, Fed isn’t retiring, but this could very well be his last big hurrah at a Grand Slam.
Federer is, let’s remember, a month shy of his 35th birthday, an age at which no man has made it to the final at the All England Club since Ken Rosewall was 39 in 1974.
Roger Federer has evened his Wimbledon quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic at two sets apiece.
“I knew I was in so much trouble in the third, and then again in the fourth”, he said.
When the self-styled “old guy” of tennis stood match point down at 4-5 30-40 in the fourth set, it looked like he would be sucked deeper into the mire.
Those are the words TV commentators for the BBC used to describe the old style of tennis Milos Raonic used to play.
The other also came against Federer, who beat Raonic in straight sets two years ago.
Querrey defeated Djokovic on Saturday, becoming the first American to beat a top-ranked player at Wimbledon since Kevin Curren downed John McEnroe in the 1985 quarterfinals.
Raonic will play either Federer or Marin Cilic in the semifinals on Friday.
“Physically you’ve got to do all the right things, look after your body, do all the right things all the time”.
Murray has beaten Berdych in their last four meetings, but before that the Czech led their head-to-head record 6-4.
He gained two set points at 6-4 and blew the first with a tight forehand that went long.
Cilic saved two break points in the fifth game and took the set 7-6 (4). Having needed 76 minutes to win the first set, Murray needed only 26 minutes to double his advantage.
The sun is out and no rain is forecast. Kerber was the surprise conqueror of Venus’ sister Serena at the Australian Open final in January, depriving the world number one of a record-equalling 22nd major title.
The new style Raonic is working on under McEnroe is comparable to Pete Sampras, the King of Swing, who won 14 Grand Slam titles – including seven at Wimbledon.
Aiming for three straight finals appearances, the Fed Express was slow leaving the station, dropping the first two sets, before steaming home, to claim a memorable five-set victory against the gritty Croatian.
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On Court 1, sixth-seeded Milos Raonic was paired against No. 28 Sam Querrey, followed by No. 10 Tomas Berdych against No. 32 Lucas Pouille.
