Roger Federer suffers shock Wimbledon loss to Tomas Berdych
Roger Federer has been knocked out of Wimbledon, as Tomas Berdych recorded what is surely the biggest win of his career to move through to the final four in SW19.
The world No. 13 delivered an assured performance that suggests he’s now gained the maturity to match his potential to claim the 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the six-time champion.
It’s the first time Federer has made his exit from Wimbledon prior to the final since he was defeated in the first round in 2002, and the second consecutive Grand Slam where he’s been defeated in the quarter-finals.
Berdych gave some indication of the challenge he intended to pose for the defending champion when he won an exchange of forehands to bring up deuce in Federer’s first service game of the match, although the top seed went on to win the next two points to hold serve and didn’t drop a point in his next service game.
The Czech then survived a couple of deuce service games of his own, before bringing up the first break point of the match with scores locked at 3-3, which was converted when the world No. 2 floated a backhand over the baseline.
Thirty-four minutes after the match started, Berdych had established a one set lead over Federer and had taken the first potential step towards reaching the semi-finals at a Grand Slam for the second time running, having reached the penultimate round of a major for the first time in his career at Roland Garros just weeks ago.
While taking a set from Federer is one thing, winning the match is another, as Berdych began to find out in the second game of the second set when a superb cross-court passing shot sealed the break for the Swiss.
The Czech saved one set point against his serve, but the six-time Wimbledon champion held serve to level a match one set apiece after the 37 minute second set.
With both players producing some high-quality tennis, it was Berdych who took the opening break and a 2-0 lead in the third set after producing some fine touch and scintillating forehand winners in the opening two games of the set.
The 12th seed then continued to match, and better, Federer for flair on centre court, opening up the double break and a 5-1 lead, then sealing it 6-1 with what hawk-eye confirmed to be his 11th ace of the match.
It was a turn of events that, not for the first time this tournament, left Federer with the prospect of going the distance if he was to claim victory at the All England Club.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion used one “get out of jail free” card to survive a first round scare against Alejandro Falla, and two consecutive double faults by Berdych in the sixth game of the fourth set looked to have gifted Federer another in this match.
However, Berdych, who at 24 years of age has now begun to play with the self-belief that is befitting of a player with his potential, saved the triple break point chance, and a fourth as well to ensure games remained on serve in the set.
Federer’s next service game developed into a duel of the deuces and it was Berdych who prevailed in what may just have been the most important game of the match to that point, as he continued to drag Federer around the court with a balance of power and precision in his ground strokes.
Berdych then held his nerve to serve out the match, after squandering one match point, to complete the biggest upset that Wimbledon has witnessed so far this year.
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