Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer advanced to his ninth Wimbledon final on Friday after cruising past Milos Raonic of Canada 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals at the All England Club. The match lasted an hour and 41 minutes.
The 32-year old has already set the bar higher when he reached his ninth final at Wimbledon and will have another shot of winning an unprecedented eighth title here. A win would mean a record-extending run of Grand Slam titles haul at 18. His last Slam victory was at this event back in 2012.
“I’m extremely happy to be in another final,” said in an interview with BBC TV. “It would mean a lot [to win Wimbledon again]. I feel unbelievably proud every time I walk the grounds here. I know I don’t have 10 [years] left. I’ll try to enjoy it. The first one in 2003 was a dream come true; it’s surreal that I’ve been so successful here.”
Up next for Federer is three-time finalist and 2011 champion Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, despite being ranked number two in the world, was awarded the top seeding at this event.
“[It took] big concentration [today],” said Federer. “I had to really focus every point. I had to be very careful on my service games. I knew there would only be a few chances on return. I was unbelievably effective.
“I’ve played some great tennis under pressure [during the tournament]. I didn’t play so well last year and I expect a lot of myself here. In the second week I’ve really played better as the tournament went on. It wasn’t easy today but I got it done and I look forward to a great match with Novak.”
This will be the 35th meeting between Djokovic and Federer with the latter leading the series at 18-16. They only met in grass once – back in 2012 where Federer won on his way to the title.
“We always play good matches against each other,” said Federer. “We’ve played each other a lot the past six months, and it’s gone back and forth a bit. Novak is a great champion; he’s used to these occasions. He’s won here before and knows how to get it done. I hope it’s going to be a good match.”
Despite the loss, Raonic has a lot to be happy about – being the first Canadian player in more than a century to reach his far at Wimbledon and rising to a career high number six on Monday.
