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WIMBLEDON, England – Forced to take the road and make the exotic trek to the All England Club, Roger Federer probably did not realize that his Wednesday trip had just begun
. First and foremost as another single, straightforward win over Kevin Anderson, the great South African veteran, has finally turned into a five-run series at Wimbledon.
At the end of this quarterfinal, a strong drink seemed more appropriate than a portion of strawberries and cream. Nerves and services were severely tested under the afternoon sun, but Anderson, 32, who has cracked at such moments in the past, was the one who held the hardest this time .
together, he rallied to win 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 and record what seemed to be the biggest win of his long career – quite a statement for a man who reached the US Open last year
"After two sets to love, I really did my best to keep fighting," said Anderson , the No. 8 seed. "And I was able to get through this third set and the fourth set, and in the end, I felt that I was doing a great job without thinking too much to things. "
Calming the mind is as much of a challenge as arming stability in situations like this. But Anderson was remarkably composed by playing what looked like a game away with all the foolishness of the Federer highlighted on Court No. 1, where he had not played for three years.
"I kept telling myself that I had to keep believing," said Anderson. "And I did not stop saying that day was going to be my day."
The match turned for good when favorite Federer doubled for the first time in the game serving 11-11, 30-30, Anderson broke it on the next point and then served the match, taking deep breaths between deliveries as he it was done during the four-and-a-half-hour duel.
About five hours later, Federer's rival, second-seeded Rafael Nadal, survived a five-set show against Juan Martín del Potro, fifth seeded, 7-5, 6-7 (9), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Anderson had 28 aces against Federer, but he's not just a big server He can also produce a huge pace from the bottom line, and he finally needed a combination of skill and mental strength to reach his first of Midfielder at Wimbledon
. Federer, eight-time Wimbledon champion, has not lost a set here since his five-set defeat against Milos Raonic in a semifinal in 2016.
C & # 39; was his last tournament before a six-month break to improve the condition of his postoperative knee. Since then, he has been champion at the All England Club (and elsewhere)
. But for Federer, who will turn 37 next month, it's his first defeat at the All England Club since he's been upset by Sergiy. Stakhovsky in the second round in 2013.
It's only the fifth time in Federer's career that he's losing a match in the best of five matches as he leads two sets to zero. The last time was at the semifinals of the United States Open in 2011 against Novak Djokovic.
Earlier this week, Federer had a 32-game winning streak at Wimbledon. He brought it to 34 against Anderson, but the wheels started to come off.
Federer's forehand, which had been so acute at first, began to produce errors. His service, which had been virtually foolproof through three rounds, was broken three times.
Still, Federer had a match point in the third set with Anderson serving at 4-5 in the third set. And he was up 0-40 on Anderson's service two games later and could not convert any break point opportunities. He won only 3 of the 12 break points on the Anderson service in the match. Anderson did not even face a breaking point in the fifth set.
"It's one of those average days that you have to try to win the game," said Federer, referring to his own level of play. "And I just could not get it to do today, so it is disappointing. "
He said that he did not believe that playing on Court No. 1 instead of the Court Center was a factor in defeat.
"I think it does not really matter to be honest," he said. "I had my chances, that's my problem really."
On Friday, Anderson will play another big server, John Isner of the United States, who beat Milos Raonic, 6-7 (5 ), 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6 -3, to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 33.
Novak Djokovic also advanced to the semi-finals, beating Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Djokovic, a 12-time champion, has not reached the last four Grand Slam events since the 2016 United States Open. Djokovic will play against Nadal in the semifinals.
When asked when he thought he was flying under the radar during this tournament, Djokovic said, "I'm really not thinking about being an underdog or being a favorite. Just try to build momentum .. Obviously, I've been very happy with the way I've played so far on the lawn. "
Naila-Jean Meyers has contributed to the report.
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