Wimbledon is the most prestigious of the four grand slams during the season. Rich in history and tradition, the marquee grass court slam has always captivated tennis fans. It’s not just about the tennis played at the All England Club in London. But much more. It’s one of sports best tournaments. Every year, the game’s best players come to see if they can fulfill childhood dreams. Of course, they already are just by making the field. Some go through qualifying while others are wild cards or lucky losers.
I’ve followed it since I was little. The first one I can remember was when a 17-year old German Boris Becker served big and dove for every volley at the net or so it seemed. He captured the Wimbledon crown in 1985 becoming the first unseeded player to win the tournament. Becker became my favorite player growing up. He won Wimbledon three times including a repeat in ’86 and finally in ’89 over rival Stefan Edberg. He also won the U.S. Open that same year making it the only time he won two slams in a single season. Boom Boom also was victorious in Australia twice totaling six majors.
Throughout the years, there have been some great champions. Pete Sampras was the master winning seven Wimbledon crowns including three straight from ’93-95 and four in a row from ’97-00. A little trivia for our tennis fanatics. Who was the only player to beat Sampras between ’93-00? Hint: He won his only career slam at the All England Club in ’96. Answer later.
After Sampras came Roger Federer. A magnificent champion who has won every grand slam and surpassed Sampras Open Era 14 slams with a modern record 17. It was a 19-year old Federer who stopped Sampras’ 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the ’01 fourth round pulling out a five set win to end his run. Though he was done winning on grass, he made one last memorable run to capture a then record 14th major by winning his fifth career U.S. Open in ’02. Of course, he beat friend and rival Andre Agassi in four sets to ride off into the sunset.
As for Federer, he was just getting started. Two years after upsetting Sampras, Federer won his first major doing so by beating Mark Phillippoussis at the ’03 Wimbledon. It didn’t take long for the Swiss Maestro to become King of Centre Court winning five consecutive Wimbledons spanning ’03-07. That was broken by Rafael Nadal in an epic five-set classic that saw the Spaniard avenge a loss in the final a year prior to stun Federer in one of the most memorable matches ever played. Federer regained the title in ’09 with Nadal injured. He tied Sampras’ record with his seventh Wimbledon in 2012 by defeating Andy Murray in four sets. Murray would avenge the loss at the London Olympics a month later to win gold.
Of all the legendary champions, Federer continues to be a fan favorite. Even approaching 35, he remains a threat at the slams. It’s been four years since his last win which gave him his 17th grand slam. He has also won five U.S. Opens (’04-08), one French (’09) and four Australian (’04, ’06, ’07, ’10). A special player who can come up with amazing shots that aren’t always through bashing the ball, Federer can play both defense and offense while also possessing great touch which allows him to come to the net when necessary. His serve was also one of the biggest reasons he’s won so frequently.
Since that point, Djokovic has been the best player on the ATP Tour. He just completed the career grand slam by finally winning his first French last month defeating Murray. The big win gave the popular world number one four consecutive slams. A rare feat that hasn’t been easy for any player to accomplish. He also won last year’s Wimbledon, U.S. Open and this year’s Australian. He had separated himself from Murray, Federer and Stan Wawrinka. When Djokovic loses, it’s a huge story. The overwhelming favorite to win again at Wimbledon, Djokovic was upset by American Sam Querrey in the fourth round in four sets. Had he moved through, many expected him to claim his 13th slam and pull within one of Nadal and Sampras.
Instead, Djoker’s exit left the door open for Murray and Federer. Murray has won two slams, winning the U.S. Open in ’12 following Olympic gold. He also won Wimbledon in ’13. The number two ranked Scot who represents Great Britain is 0-3 in slam finals since. His career record in slam finals is 2-8. However, at this moment he’s expected to win without Djokovic around. That said, Murray was pushed five sets by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before pulling out the final set 6-1 to advance to a semifinal against Tomas Berdych.
After missing the French Open due to knee surgery for his first absence from a slam since ’99, Federer is once again the semifinals in London. It’ll be his 11th trip. It nearly didn’t happen. In a rematch with 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, he fell behind two sets in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. The quality of play was tremendous. It wasn’t so much that he was playing poorly but rather a credit to how well his opponent was hitting the ball. Like Cilic’s Open straight sets semifinal upset, the bigger Croatian was bombing the ball from the baseline and crushing his serve. Predictably, the first set went to a tiebreak. But it was all Cilic early. Jumping out to a 5-0 lead, he held on to win the breaker 7-4 to take the opening set.
The second set again saw the bigger man nearly impossible from the baseline. Backing up his big serve with huge ground strokes including a wicked forehand return on a Federer serve that was clocked at 104 miles per hour, he got the only break in the second set. That allowed him to prevail 6-4 and go up two sets.
At that point, it looked like lights out for Federer. I figured it would be a repeat of two years ago. But one thing about Federer. He never gives up. Especially on his favorite surface, grass. While it’s true the court was playing fast, the grand slam record holder showed plenty of heart in the third set. With it on serve, he fell behind Love-40 giving Cilic triple break point. Basically, they were match points. Lose one and it was probably over. But instead, Federer’s resolve allowed him to win five consecutive points and hold serve. As usually happens, momentum swung the other direction with Federer breaking Cilic thanks to a double fault. Before you knew it, he served out the set for 6-3 to get the crowd back in it.
The fourth set was even more captivating. Each player went serve for serve in a clinic. Federer really picked it up in the ace department. When he’s really on, his serve becomes awfully difficult to pick up. He admitted afterwards that he couldn’t figure out Cilic the first two sets. But that one game in the third set changed everything. There were only three breaks in the match. Cilic went 1-for-8 on break points while Federer converted 2-of-9.
There were no breaks of serve in the fourth set which needed a nerve wracking tiebreaker to decide. This one had everything. Each player had opportunities. Federer saved three match points. He was just gigantic calling on his serve time and again. Cilic also saved set points. On a couple of points, Federer just missed converting. The shot of the breaker had to be a deft slice backhand winner that caught the line for a successful Federer challenge for 5-3. It was a battle of emotions. Eventually, Federer prevailed with his big serve allowing him to win the breaker 11-9 to level the match.
In the final set, one break was all it took for Federer. A couple of more aces including one out wide allowed him to clinch an emotional five set victory, besting Cilic 6-7 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3. The match took three hours and seventeen minutes. It wasn’t too long considering due to the dominance of the servers. There weren’t many long drag it out rallies.
If there was a difference, Federer had 27 aces and no double faults. Cilic had 23 aces but also threw in seven doubles at inopportune moments. Both men had good winners to unforced errors ratios. Turning back the clock, Federer had 67 winners compared to just 24 unforced. Cilic finished with 59 winners and 36 unforced. He missed a few key shots where had he made them, it’s probably a different outcome. Demonstrating how close the match was, total points favored Federer 170-162.
It was a well played five set match between two elite players. Cilic looks to be rounding into form after an injury riddled 2015. He should be a factor in the final slam in New York City. For Federer, this was his 10th career win from two sets down.
”I fought, I tried, I believed,” Federer told the Associated Press. ”At the end, I got it done.”
Milos Raonic awaits him next. The Canadian missile had too much for Querrey, holding off a rally with a four set win. Federer got the better of Raonic in the same round two years ago. Raonic is a better player this time around. He made his second career slam semifinal in Australia this year. One of the game’s hardest servers, he can flatten out his forehand and has shown more aggression finishing points at the net. John McEnroe is coaching him.
The two men’s semis should be entertaining. Obviously, Murray will be a heavy favorite over Berdych, who certainly hits big enough. It all depends on consistency. Murray has the edge in movement and intangibles. Raonic versus Federer is a toss up. It has the making of another five set encounter.
One thing that makes this run special for Federer is his age. He will turn 35 next month. He continues to defy logic. In consecutive losses to Djokovic at Wimbledon, he’s been the runner up. Djokovic also got the better of Roger at last year’s U.S. Open winning in four sets. Only the world’s best player has prevented Federer from adding to his major record of 17. This is a golden opportunity to win one more time.
In an era dominated by Serena Williams, who is also into her mid-30’s looking to match Steffi Graf, anything’s possible. Even a final Williams vs Williams final if Venus can defeat Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber. A tall order with Venus Williams also looking for one more Wimbledon at age 36. She last won a major in ’08. It would be truly inspiring. She’s continued to battle through Sjogren’s Syndrome which is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain and fatigue. It’s amazing she’s still playing and has her ranking back up to number 8 on the WTA Tour.
What one can conclude from seeing Federer or both Williams sisters is that they remain inspirational at this late stage. Federer has stiffer competition. But Serena deserves all the credit in the world for sticking around and staying hungry. Her drive can never be questioned. So, will Wimbledon 2016 conclude with two champions in their mid-30’s? Wouldn’t that be something.
The women’s semis are later today featuring Venus Williams taking on Angelique Kerber. Serena Williams faces Elena Vesnina.
Trivia Answer: Richard Krajicek won the 1996 Championships upsetting Pete Sampras en route to his only career grand slam.
