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TENNIS

Wawrinka beats Murray to reach French Open final

Stan Wawrinka became the oldest French Open finalist in 44 years on Friday with an epic 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 win over world number one Andy Murray.

Wawrinka beats Murray to reach French Open final
Photo: Christophe Simon
The 2015 champion will face either nine-time winner Rafael Nadal or Dominic Thiem for the title after avenging his loss to Murray at the same stage in Paris last year.
   
US Open champion Wawrinka, 32, triumphed in a pulsating four hour 34 minute battle of shotmaking and endurance and will target a fourth Slam title on Sunday.
 
For Murray, his wait to become Britain's first men's champion in Paris since Fred Perry in 1935 goes on.
   
“It's incredible to be in another Roland Garros final,” said Wawrinka, the oldest finalist since 33-year-old Niki Pilic was runner-up in 1973.
   
“I was hesitant in trying to finish the first and third sets but I felt like I could retake control.
   
“Andy always makes you play another ball, he makes you play badly.
   
“It was a great atmosphere which makes you give it your all.”
   
Murray admitted that Wawrinka was the stronger player in the end.
   
“I tried to keep fighting, but he played well at the end,” said Murray, the 2016 runner-up to Novak Djokovic.
   
“I was a tiebreak from getting to the final in a tournament which I came into struggling.”
 

Wawrinka broke for a 5-3 lead in the opener but handed the advantage straight back to the Scot in his next service game.

In a gripping tiebreak, an instinctive, point-blank backhand volley gave the Swiss a set point.
   
Again he was unable to take advantage and it was Murray who pounced for the opening set after 71 minutes when his opponent netted a backhand return off a second serve.
   
Murray only notched nine winners in the set but Wawrinka's 23 unforced errors proved his undoing as he shipped his first set of the tournament.
   
However, Wawrinka quickly hit back, breaking first again for 4-3 in the second set and again in the ninth game to level the semifinal, running around a second serve to bury a forehand winner.
   
Wawrinka raced into a 3-0 lead in the third before Murray halted a seven-game losing streak and retrieved the break in the fifth game.
   
A further break apiece followed before Murray, with his trademark defensive skills in overdrive, edged back in front for 6-5 followed by the set-clinching hold.
   
The pair had already been on court for three hours.
   
Solid serving, counter-punching and stunning attack by both men sent the fourth set to a tiebreak without a single break point given up.
   
Wawrinka took it to level the semifinal after four hours, another laser forehand speeding past Murray.
   
The US Open champion was now in the ascendancy, breaking in the first game of the decider and backing it with a comfortable hold.
   
An astonishing triple break took him to 5-0 and although Murray clawed one back, the marathon battle — the longest of the tournament — had taken its toll.
   
Wawrinka booked his place in his fourth Slam final with another stylish backhand down the line winner.
 
 

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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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