Roger Federer exacted revenge on Milos Raonic on Wednesday, thrashing the Canadian 6th-seed 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in an incredibly one-sided Wimbledon quarter-final to set up a last-four clash with Tomas Berdych in the process.
Raonic had beaten Federer in a five-set epic in the 2016 Wimbledon semi-finals, to deny the legendary Swiss a tilt at an unprecedented 8th title but a year later, the story was remarkably different.
‘Fed Ex’ was relentless from the first point till the last, not allowing the 6’5 Raonic any breathing room whatsoever.
Breaking Raonic in the fifth game of the opening set, Federer didn't relinquish his lead as he clinched the set in just 31 minutes.
The towering Canadian was strangely languid in his playing style and Federer for once, was the aggressor, much to the delight of a packed Centre Court crowd.
The second set was a mere procession, as Federer broke in the first game itself and continued to dictate the pace of the game and the 17-time Grand Slam champion pressed home his advantage, racing into
The third set saw a much better display from Raonic, but the 2016 finalist decided to show up too late in the tie and while he pushed Federer on his serve a couple of times, he could not capitalise on the few break points the Swiss afforded him.
Federer has enjoyed a stellar 2017, winning the Australian Open before clinching the Indian Wells and Miami Masters titles, and against an out-of-sorts Raonic, an upset never looked on the cards.
To his credit, Raonic was stubborn and refused to be broken , forcing the issue to a tie-break.
Racing into a 3-0 lead, the Canadian sparked brief fears of a comeback before the 35-year-old Federer produced some of the best tennis of the match to storm back into a two-point lead and eventually cling the match.
Thus, the evergreen Swiss star’s quest for an eight Wimbledon title and an 18th overall Slam remains on track and in his way is Czech Tomas Berdych, who was leading Novak Djokovic 7-6 (2), 2-0 when the Serbian pulled out citing a shoulder injury.
Djokovic had injured his shoulder during his fourth-round win over Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday, a tie that had been pushed back by a day due to a marathon clash between Rafael Nadal and Giles Muller. And it would seem the 24-hour rest was not enough for the triple Wimbledon champion to recuperate.
With Nadal, Djokvovic and Andy Murray all out, Federer is in pole position to seize that elusive eight Wimbledon title, one he has been chasing for the past four years without much success.