As the dream final by popular acclaim evaporated in the fourth set of Roger Federer's match against 25-year-old Canadian Milos Raonic, thoughts turned to whether the 17-time Grand Slam champion would ever get a chance like it again.
Federer was only good, no more than that. He didn’t feel the ball as he did in the quarterfinal against Marin Cilic. He couldn’t get momentum, was unable to crack the younger player and when his chances came in the fourth set he missed them, finally falling 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Raonic will meet Andy Murray in tomorrow's final after the Scott impressively dismissed Tomas Berdych in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. At least one half of the favoured duo made it through.
Prowled
The low hanging fruit was there for Federer. He knew it, went to pick it and was held at bay by a player known for his big serve but who on the day played tougher, prowled the net more intelligently and grasped the moments better than the ageing master.
Federer had two break points on the Raonic serve in the fifth game of the pivotal fourth set when he was 2-1 up. Raonic fought him off. Then at 40-0 in the 12th game at 5-6 Federer served two double faults to let Raonic back in before the 25-year-old passed him at the net to claim the set, draw level at 2-2, grab the momentum and take it into a fifth set.
“I don’t know. Something went wrong,” said a confused Federer. “I can’t believe I served a double fault twice. Unexplainable for me really. Very sad about that and angry at myself because never should I allow him to get out of that set that easily.”
It was after that Federer began to look weary, particularly after a fall moving across the court in the fourth game of the fifth act. It was the first time anyone had ever seen him trip accidentally and take a tumble.
Lost his energy
The trainer was called but Federer had lost his energy, and Raonic exploited it. Federer again double-faulted for a break point to allow Raonic finally serve out the match 6-3.
“I don’t even want to know,” said a simmering Federer with regard to his injury. “I don’t slip a lot. I don’t ever fall down. It was a different fall for me than I’ve ever had. I just felt not the same afterwards. From then on, if I would have been fresh as a daisy or injured, maybe wouldn’t matter because he was serving 140mph anyway.
“I had missed my chances by then. Very disappointing half an hour there for me, getting broken at 6-5 [4th set], getting broken again at 2-1 [5th set], having the slip. Very disappointing end to the match for me.”
Murray wisely spared the Centre Court another evening epic, although that could arrive in the final. The heavy-serving 30-year-old Czech player faced the 29-year-old Scott at his fighting best.
Not requiring tie-breaks, Murray convincingly broke the Berdych serve twice in the first set and once in the other two, wrapping it up in a fraction under two hours.
Downbeat
It was a controlled and well constructed demolition, the downbeat expression on the Czech player’s face reflecting Murray’s miserly approach to the semi-final. Murray hit just nine unforced errors to 30 from Berdych over the three sets.
The win puts Murray into his 11th Grand Slam final, one beyond Fred Perry and equal to Stefan Edberg as he meets Raonic for what will be his third final on Centre Court.
It’s the first time he will face a player in the Wimbledon final ranked lower than his world ranking of two. Raonic is ranked at seven.
“He does a lot of things well,” said Raonic of Murray. “The biggest challenge for me, the thing I want to repeat the least from Queen’s, is I got sucked into his game. I didn’t play on my terms. That is going to be the most important thing for me.”
Murray is thinking exactly the same.
