Friday 8 July 2016

Semi final predictions : Will Federer make it to his 11th Wimbledon final?

(image courtesy : www.thehindu.com)

It is men's semi finals day at Wimbledon, as we get ready for four heavyweights giving it their all to earn a place in history. If the quarter finals were any indication, there is going to be tons of drama, emotions, and of course, fabulous tennis. All four of them are capable of playing out of the world tennis, and it is very difficult to see which two actually prevail in the end
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[6] MILOS RAONIC VS [3] ROGER FEDERER

Two years ago, Milos Raonic faced a straight set defeat against the 7-time champion at the exact stage of this tournament. This time around, the story might unfold a different way, as the Canadian has improved by leaps and bounds during this period. Add to it, he even has two legends of the game, Carlos Moya and John McEnroe.

A FEW NUMBERS

Milos Raonic is reaping the benefits of a solid serve and volley game this Wimbledon. Till now he has won 99 points out of 133 while serving and volleying with a 74% success rate, which in comparison is a huge improvement to the 33 times he came to the net in the 2014 edition. So if he employs a similar strategy here, Federer will need to be making baseline passes to unsettle him. Strangely though, that is exactly where Federer's game has dipped; in both 2014 and 2015, till the finals, Federer won 52% of the points from the baseline, and this time around, it is just 48%.

OTHER FACTORS

Even though the statistics are a little discouraging for the Swiss, we all know how great a champion he is. Raonic did beat him 
the last time they faced in Brisbane earlier this year, and this will definitely boost Raonic psychologically. But he has a 9-2 win record against the Canadian, which is hugely one-sided. Also, his epic comeback against Marin Cilic, and the huge support from the Centre court crowd is going to keep him motivated even at critical phases.

It is a really though one to predict, but I think Roger has a slight edge here. Federer is a great tactician and he will find a way to counter Raonic's strategies like nobody else can. The return games will be crucial for both, and Federer's chip and charge tactic might come in really handy at times to put pressure on Raonic. I say Raonic might take a set off Federer. A slight chance maybe even two. But Federer is definitely going to the finals at SW19 for the 11th time in his career.

PREDICTION : FEDERER 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

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