Roger Federer is one win away from a ninth Wimbledon final after disposing of compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinal. Standing in the Swiss Maestro’s way will be the hard-serving Canadian, Milos Raonic, who has aced his way to a first ever Grand Slam semifinal.
Will Federer be the one to serve Raonic with defeat and meet the winner of Novak Djokovic versus Grigor Dimitrov? Find our comprehensive preview of that match here and read on for more on this hard-hitting semifinal clash.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]
Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic, 2014 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Semifinal Match Preview
Where: Centre Court, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, London
Roger Federer wasn’t quite as dominant against countryman Stan Wawrinka as he was in the first four rounds. He dropped the very first set after previously going 12-for-12 in the tournament, and he finally had his serve broken. But the seven-time champ was hardly troubled after that as he rolled to a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 victory.
[sc:Other240banner ]Federer’s service game wasn’t particularly remarkable against Wawrinka. He fired in 65% of his first serves and won 79% of his first serve points, down from the 88% in his last three matches. He did make up for that dip by hitting 46 winners and limiting his unforced errors to 14.
From experience to overall ability, Federer has the decided advantage over his younger opponent. Unless he self-destructs and gives points away through unforced errors, it’s hard to see how he loses.
Even Raonic’s strong serve hasn’t given Federer much problems. R-Fed is 4-0 in his career against the Canadian. Federer even showed Raonic a thing or two about having a dominant service game a couple of times. In 2012, Federer won an incredible 83% of second serve points against Raonic, and won 90% of first serve points in last year’s Australian Open meeting.
In Federer’s 16 career trips to Wimbledon, he has never bowed out in the semifinal stage.
Create a betting account today and hit a potential grand slam wagering on tennis Grand Slams and a whole host of other sports.
Betting on Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic is slowly getting the hang of Grand Slam tennis. After reaching the quarterfinal of Roland Garros earlier this year, Raonic is now in his first ever Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon. The 23-year old Canadian defeated Rafael Nadal’s conqueror, 19-year old Nick Kyrgios, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(4) to set a date with Federer.
Raonic is best-known for his impressive serve, and with good reason. The current World No. 9 fired a whopping 39 aces past Kyrgios to up his overall total to 147, the most by anyone in the tournament by a considerable margin.
Raonic is winning 88% of his first serve points in the tournament, while none of his opponents have been able to win over 25% of return points against him.
Wimbledon has been a tournament that favors heavy servers (2001 winner Goran Ivanisevic immediately comes to mind) and if Raonic has any shot at beating an all-time great like Federer, that serve needs to be working to optimal efficiency.
Writer’s Prediction
Take Federer (-280) to display his all-around game and outclass his one-dimensional opponent to reach yet another Wimbledon final.
