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TENNIS

Federer ties Grand Slam record with latest win

Roger Federer reached his 14th Wimbledon quarterfinal and tied Martina Navratilova's all-time Grand Slam record of 306 match wins on Monday.

Federer ties Grand Slam record with latest win
Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

The seven-time champion achieved his double landmark by seeing off Steve Johnson of the United States 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the fourth round on Centre Court.

Federer, the third seed, next takes on Croatia's Marin Cilic for a place in the semifinals.
   
Cilic, the ninth seeded Croatian, progressed to his third Wimbledon quarterfinal when Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori pulled out of their last-16 clash with a rib injury in the second set.
   
Federer has a 6-1 record over Cilic but the big Croatian stunned the 17-time major champion in the US Open semifinals in 2014 on his way to his maiden Grand Slam title.
   
“He brushed me off the court in the US Open a few years ago and I hope to get him back,” said Federer who had former coach Stefan Edberg watching on from the player's box on Centre Court.
   
Johnson, the champion on grass at Nottingham this summer and playing in his first fourth round at a Slam, was comprehensively out-played in the first two sets.
   
He rallied to break the 34-year-old Federer in the fourth and sixth games of the third set but the former American college champion was reeled in on both occasions.
   
“Best of five matches are always tough,” added Federer, whose 14th appearance in a Wimbledon quarterfinal matches the mark of Jimmy Connors.
   
“I'm happy with how I played. It wasn't as easy as maybe it looked. Steve has picked up a lot of confidence in the last few weeks and he has a nice game for grass but I think I mixed it up well.”
   
Federer has reached the last eight without dropping a set, easing to four successive wins on Centre Court.
   
“I would never have thought I would win the first four rounds in straight sets. I now need to play my best tennis.”

Federer is the only Swiss left in the draw after Stan Wawrinka fell on Friday to Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro.

Wawrinka, a quarterfinalist in 2014 and 2015, fired 47 winners past Del Potro but was undone by 48 unforced errors.

It was an emotional win for Del Potro, who was number four in the world and a US Open champion in 2009 before four wrist surgeries — including three in the last two years — pushed him to the brink of quitting.
   
The world number 165, playing in his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2014 Australian Open, clinched a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory over Wawrinka under the Centre Court roof.

Del Potro was a semifinalist on his last appearance at Wimbledon in 2013 where he lost a memorable five-setter against Novak Djokovic.
   
He goes on to face French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille for a spot in the last-16.
   
“I feel alive again. After sitting at home for two years, this feels like a second or third career,” added Del Potro.
   
Despite his defeat, the Swiss star said it was good for the sport to have the Argentine back in business.
   
“We are happy that he's back. He's a great guy off the court. He's amazing player on the court. He's big champion,” said Wawrinka.  

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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