LONDON–Roger Federer defeated Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to his ninth Wimbledon Final. He will play against Novak Djokovic on Sunday for a chance to win a record-setting eighth Wimbledon title.
Federer and Pete Sampras each have seven Wimbledon titles.
Federer and Raonic are two of the most powerful servers in the game, and break points are at a premium when they play. Federer managed to break Raonic three times and did not lose his serve. Federer has only lost one service game at Wimbledon–Stan Wawrinka broke Federer in the first set in the quarterfinals.
Federer also said at the beginning of Wimbledon that he needed to focus on his volleys and net play. Both have improved drastically over the tournament, and he won 75% of his net points against Raonic. He looks more poised and comfortable in front of the net than he has recently.
“That was a big victory,” Federer told the BBC after the match. “I really had to focus on every point. I know that is always the case at this stage but it was hard. I had to be very careful on my service games and I knew there were only going to be a few chances on his serve but I am very, very happy.”
Raonic made history as the first Canadian male to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, and he will not go away quietly. He is 23-years-old and proved he can play well against the veterans. He had 17 aces and his fastest serve was 139 MPH. Even Federer knew he had to prepare for Raonic’s serve.
“I had to be very careful on my service games, and I knew there were only going to be a few chances on his serve, but I am very, very happy,” he continued. “I played some great tennis under pressure at times because I didn’t play well here last year, and I expect a lot of myself. In the second week I have played better as the week has gone on.
Federer will play for a historic eighth Wimbledon championship and 18th Grand Slam title. If he wins the title, the 32-year-old Swiss will also become the oldest male major winner since 1972.
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