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Roger Federer has defied time and logic to reach 12th Wimbledom semi-final

Roger Federer stands just two wins away from a record eighth Wimbledon title but faces a perilous trip through the land of the giants if he is to become the tournament's oldest champion.

Published: 14 July 2017 09:55 CEST
Roger Federer has defied time and logic to reach 12th Wimbledom semi-final
Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

The 35-year-old Swiss has defied time and logic to reach a 12th semi-final at the All England Club where he will face Tomas Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, on Friday.

If he gets past the Czech for the 19th time in 25 meetings, Federer will face either Sam Querrey or Marin Cilic in Sunday's final. The contrast between the 18-time Grand Slam title winner and the other three contenders could not be more stark.

Federer stands 6ft 1in (1.85m) and weighs in at 187lbs (85kg); Berdych is 6ft 5ins (1.95m) and 200 lbs (91kg). Querrey and Cilic tower over him at 6ft 6ins (1.97m) and 210lbs (95kg) and 196lbs (89kg) respectively.

Federer, bidding to reach an 11th final at Wimbledon, is therefore aware of the physical threats posed by his rivals.

“All three guys are taller and stronger than I am,” said Federer. “I've got to figure out a different way, carve my way through somehow with my slice and my spins, my consistency.

“Being the favourite or not the favourite doesn't matter. These other guys are all big hitters. I feel like they will have their say in the outcome of the matches.

“They've got big serves, big forehands, they are big hitters.”

Federer has made the semi-finals without dropping a set and has been broken just three times.

He even managed to match Milos Raonic – who boasts the second fastest serve of the tournament at a blistering 142mph (228.5km/h) – with 11 aces in his quarter-final victory.

Federer is the second oldest semi-finalist after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39.

He is also the overwhelming favourite after 'Big Four' rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffered injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal lost in the last 16.

Federer is reaping the rewards of pruning his schedule with Wimbledon just his seventh event of 2017. He skipped the 2016 and 2017 French Opens which were won by Djokovic and Nadal.

Clay season hibernation

After losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, he shut down his season to rest a knee injury which had already required surgery earlier in 2016.

He came back in January this year, won the Australian Open for his 18th Slam, added the Indian Wells-Miami Masters double before hibernating again through the clay court season.

Former champion Boris Becker hailed Federer's new approach.

“Federer is playing the best tennis ever at the age of 35 because he has got everything right in the rest of his life too,” Becker told the BBC.

Berdych, meanwhile, will not be overawed by facing Federer having defeated him in four sets in the 2010 quarter-finals on his way to his only appearance in a Slam final.

Four years younger, 11th-seeded Berdych came to Wimbledon ranked outside the top 10 for the first time since 2009.

He knocked out eighth-seeded Dominic Thiem in five sets in the last 16 before seeing Djokovic retire with a right elbow injury in their quarter-final.

Berdych is in the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second successive season after a poor year at the Slams in which he exited the Australian Open in the third round and Roland Garros after two matches.

“Roger is an exceptional tennis player, he's the greatest of them all. It's a great challenge to have the opportunity to play him,” said the 31-year-old.

Querrey, meanwhile, has reached a maiden semi-final at the majors at the 42nd time of asking.

The 24th-seeded American, who knocked out 2015 champion Djokovic 12 months ago, proved that was no fluke by downing defending champion Murray in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old is also the first American man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Andy Roddick reached the Wimbledon final in 2009.

Querrey trails 2014 US Open champion and seventh seed Marin Cilic 4-0 in head-to-head meetings.

Two of those clashes have been at Wimbledon – in 2009 and 2012.

The encounter five years ago was the second longest match in Wimbledon history at five hours and 31 minutes, something Cilic doesn't want to experience again on Friday.

“Hopefully it's not the longest one ever,” he said of a match decided 17-15 in the final set.

However, with Querrey and Cilic having fired 231 aces between them at the tournament, a long afternoon cannot be ruled out.

By Dave James

For members

SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

Have you heard of Schwingen? Switzerland's national sport involves jute shorts, sawdust, and a whole lot of wrestling,

Published: 7 February 2024 14:19 CET
Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

While relatively unknown outside of Switzerland, and largely concentrated in the country’s German-speaking cantons, Schwingen is Switzerland’s homegrown form of wrestling.

In a sawdust ring, two competitors aim to throw each other onto their backs, with both shoulders touching the ground. Each time this is achieved, a point is awarded to the victor.

All this throwing is achieved by grabbing the leather belt attached to the jute shorts worn by the combatants.

As simple as this sounds, there are several styles of Schwingen and hundreds of recorded holds and grips. Size and strength play a significant role in Schwingen, but flexibility cannot be discounted as a factor in determining a champion. 

A proud history 

Like any martial art, the origins of Schwingen are lost to history, but it’s safe to say that just like the Schuhplattler of neighbouring Bavaria – that’s the slappy lederhosen dance – it’s been around for thousands of years, practised by mountain tribes, and later shepherds tending mountain flocks.

The first depictions in art date from the 13th century and the first written records from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, when local church authorities sought to crack down on the rowdy celebrations that these competitions were associated with.

Indeed, Schwingen was massively restricted for hundreds of years, under the fear that it was leading to drunkenness and all manner of other sinning. The large majority of Schwingen meets at this time took place in isolated areas, far from prying eyes. 

All of this changed with the arrival of industrialization, railways and tourism. With many flocking to rural Switzerland for the beauty of outdoor spaces and quaint local customs, Schwingen was brought back to the cities by fascinated spectators and became so popular that it needed to be codified and organized to regulate it.

To this end, the Schwingerverbandes, or Federal Wrestling Association was founded in 1895.

Read More: Schwingen: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s ‘national sport’

More popular than ever 

Schwingen is now a very popular sport within Switzerland, practised by a dedicated core of amateurs and professionals, and watched by far, far more,

Experiencing a further boom throughout the 20th century, boosted by broadcast media, it became mass entertainment. It’s a televised sport, revolving around several key meets, at the canton and federal levels. In addition to youth Schwingen, there have been women’s competitions since 1980.

The Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival is the apogee of competitive Schwingen, held every three years – think of it like a Swiss Olympics. The next will be in Glarnerland in 2025. 

Another massive event for Schwingen fans is the Unspunnenfest, held every twelve years in Interlaken. The next of these will be held in 2029.

Crowned in 2022, Joel Wicki from the canton of Luzern is the current Swiss Schwingen champion. Topping out at just over six feet, and weighing in at 110kg, he’s far from the biggest contestants – but then again, it’s not always strength that matters in a Schwingen bout. 

Want to get involved? 

While Schwingen isn’t exactly the kind of thing that international visitors generally involve themselves in, there is a fully packed calendar of events throughout the year for spectators.

These range from indoor events in the winter months, to the larger outdoor competitions during the summer. You can find out more on the Federal Wrestling Association’s website.

You can also track Schwingen competitions, and find out where to watch them on TV or online, via Sport.ch.

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