Roger Federer faced serious questions over his future yesterday after crashing out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals, just five weeks shy of his 40th birthday.
Eight-time Wimbledon champion and 20-time Grand Slam title winner Federer lost 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to a Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, a player 15 years his junior.
It was only Federer’s 14th defeat at the tournament in 119 matches and his first straight-sets loss since an opening round exit against Mario Ancic in 2002.
It was the first time he had lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon.
World number 18 Hurkacz had never got beyond the third round of a Grand Slam before this Wimbledon.
However, boosted by having defeated world number two Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the last 16, he was a break up on a sluggish-looking Federer in the sixth game of the opening set.
The Swiss star, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020 and was bidding to be the oldest man in the Wimbledon last-four in over a half a century, carved out a break for 2-0 in the second set.
Federer looked punch drunk and he was quickly down 0-2 in the third set before Hurkacz wrapped up the decider in just 29 minutes in front of a stunned Centre Court.
He is only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon — Jerzy Janowicz being the other in 2013.
Up next is a clash with either Matteo Berrettini of Italy or Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in Sunday’s final.
World number one and five-time champion Novak Djokovic reached his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and 41st at the Grand Slams.
Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling 20th major, defeated Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
He will face Canada’s 10th seed Denis Shapovalov, who beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, for a place in Sunday’s final.
It was 34-year-old Djokovic’s 100th career grass court victory.
Source-AFP
