The Wimbledon men’s semifinals feature more than just four of the top 10 players in the world. As is so often the case with tennis’ oldest and most illustrious Grand Slam, whoever falls to his knees in celebration after the final shot will make history.
You can watch both semifinals matches on ESPN (or streaming on WatchESPN) on Friday, beginning with the Roger Federer-Milos Raonic match at 8 a.m. ET. The Andy Murray-Tomas Berdych semifinal will follow.
It’s no secret Federer would be the first man to win 18 slams if he wins — but what’s stunning, and what would make his victory all the more impressive, is that at age 34 he would be the oldest man to win in the tournament’s history. Perhaps even more impressive: He would be the only man to have won eight Wimbledon titles, breaking his tie with Pete Sampras, and doing so after missing Roland Garros in May with knee and back issues. Who says the Swiss refuse to fight?
The man he has to beat to make the final, Raonic, would be Canada’s first men’s singles Grand Slam champion, and so despite eight singles titles to his name, fans back home want more. He already beat Federer in their only previous encounter in 2016, and the grass seems to suit him. The 6’6 Canadian made the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014, equaling his best result at any Grand Slam to date. The bad news? Raonic is 2-9 against Federer all time. The 26-year-old is in his prime and ranked No. 6 in the world — it might be now or never.
On the other side of the draw, Murray faces the familiar pressure of being the local favorite. The Scot alleviated some of that pressure by winning Wimbledon in 2013, ending a 77-year drought for British men. But if you think there’s not pressure to win again, you didn’t see the standing ovation Centre Court and Murray Mound crowds gave him after his five-set win against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. A win by Murray would make him the first two-time British champion since Fred Perry won his second in 1935. Murray holds an 8-6 edge against his semifinals opponent, Berdych, and more importantly, hasn’t lost to him since 2013.
Berdych’s story is much simpler: He just wants his first Grand Slam. But if he gets his wish, he also would be the first men’s champion from the Czech Republic. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, the Czech player reached the Wimbledon final six years ago and has made the semifinals in each of the other three slams, but never won. Now 30 years old, he could be facing his last, best chance. Berdych can relate to the pressure Murray faces — the Czech Republic has only ever had one Grand Slam men’s champion, Petr Korda, who won the Australian Open in 1998.
Published in conjunction with 