Wimbledon 2017 Men's semi-final preview: Roger Federer nears quest for 19th Grand Slam
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is the firm favourite to win the tournament and it’s not hard to see why. After a lengthy break from tennis in 2016 post Wimbledon that year, the Swiss ace returned to the hard-court season only to sweep the Australian Open title and with it, his record-extending 18th Major title – with a victory over longtime rival Rafael Nadal.
Now, he will look for an 8th title at Wimbledon, which extends his own shared record of seven titles here.
Most successful on grass, Federer holds a number of records at, and as a result of, his Wimbledon victories. He has yet to drop a set going into the semi-finals at Wimbledon, a tremendous feat in and of itself. The fact that he has done this 14 years after winning his first major and only a year on from a major recuperative break at 35-years-old is perhaps even more impressive.
Federer beat Milos Raonic – the Canadian ace who ousted him from Wimbledon in 2016 – in straight sets this week, proving well and truly that this was a drastically improved Federe,r a near unbeatable version of his previous self – as it is difficult for any opponent not named Rafael Nadal.
Berdych comes in after a couple of very hard-fought wins – including a four-set match against Jeremy Chardy in Round 1, and a tough five-setter against Dominic Thiem in Round 4. The Czech 11th seed also saw a lucky (for him, but unfortunate for his rival) break in the quarter-finals, with an injured Novak Djokovic withdrawing down 6-7 , 0-2 to Berdych. The Serbian former No. 1 revealed also that he has had a long-term shoulder injury preventing him from performing at his best – which made him a weakened opponent against the 11th seed.
Federer and Berdych have played one another a whopping 24 times on tour – and Federer leads that record with 75% wins – beating Berdych on 18 of those occasions. The two have already met twice this year, with Federer winning both times – once at the Australian Open, and following that at the hard-court ATP1000 Miami Masters tournament, which Federer would go on to win.
The two have met twice at Wimbledon, with Federer winning in straight sets in 2006 – and Berdych in four sets in 2010.
The last time Berdych beat Federer was in 2013 – on hard courts, with Federer taking a convincing first set before being edged out by Berdych in a tiebreak. The 35-year-old has faltered like this before – including this year at Round 1 of the grass-court Stuttgart Open, where he suffered a shock loss to Tommy Haas in Round 1.
But this is Wimbledon – hallowed grounds for the Swiss ace, and given Federer’s record at the venue – and against Berdych, it would be very unlikely given his fitness and form that he will lose.
Prediction: Roger Federer to win in straight sets