And so there will be no ninth Wimbledon title for Roger Federer. Not this year, at least. In blustery conditions, Federer was blown away 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 on Centre Court by Hubert Hurkacz, the 14th seed, who had never previously been beyond the third round. By next summer, Federer will be almost 41. It is natural to wonder whether we will ever again see him on Centre Court, although perhaps the real wonder is that the Swiss made it to the quarter-finals at all, having played just eight matches before Wimbledon following a 13-month injury layoff.
Never before had Federer salvaged just nine games from a match at Wimbledon; never before had he conceded a love set. The Swiss made 31 unforced errors and won just 33% of the points behind his second serve. His woes were epitomised by an untimely slip at 2-3 in the second-set tiebreak. With the court at his mercy, Federer’s back foot gave way as he lined up a high forehand volley, resulting in an ungainly swipe that sent the ball careering off over his left shoulder. It was an almost unthinkable act of inelegance from a man who has presided over the All England Club with such regal authority since his first title in 2003.
Federer, who twice underwent surgery on his right knee last year, was non-committal about his future afterwards. He said that while he hoped to play on, he would take stock in the days ahead and give himself time to make the “right decision”. Asked if he had played his last match at Wimbledon, Federer replied: “I don’t know, I really don’t know. I’ve got to regroup. My goal was always, for the last year and more, to try to play another Wimbledon. With everything that comes after Wimbledon we were always going to sit down and talk about it because clearly, now Wimbledon is over, I’ve got to take a few days.
“We’re going to speak a little bit tonight, depending on how I feel, and then the next couple of days as well. Then we go from there and just see like, okay, what do I need to do to get in better shape and so I can be more competitive? I’m actually very happy that I made it as far as I did here, and that I was able to play Wimbledon at the level I did after everything that I went through. Of course I would like to play it again, but at my age you’re just never sure what’s around the corner.
“There are still a lot of things missing in my game that maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago were very simple and very normal for me to do. Nowadays, they don’t happen naturally anymore, I’ve always got to put in the extra effort mentally to remind myself, ‘Remember to do this or do that.’ I have a lot of ideas on the court, but sometimes I can’t do what I want to do, so I think it’s a bit of a tricky situation sometimes, come tough matches against great players.”
It was a towering performance from the 6ft 5in Hurkacz, who powered down 10 aces and 36 winners while making just 12 unforced errors. In the biggest match of his life, the 24-year-old Pole showed exceptional composure against his childhood idol, holding his nerve when Federer took a 3-0 lead in the second set and driving for the line with relentless determination once he was two sets to the good. The comprehensive manner of Hurkacz’s victory was all the more remarkable for the fact that he came into the tournament on a six-match losing streak.
“After winning a couple of matches I really gained confidence, gained momentum, and I believed in myself a lot before the game today,” said Hurkacz, the first Polish man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since Jerzy Janowicz in 2013. “Obviously I was a little bit nervous, playing against Roger in a grand slam quarterfinal – it’s a very big thing for me, but I was just trying to stay as calm as I could. I was trying always so to believe in myself during the match and just trust my game and stay as aggressive as I could. That’s what I was trying to focus on throughout the match.
“Walking off the court realising that I won against Roger, I mean it’s just kind of a dream come true, especially here on the grass in Wimbledon. It felt so special.”
Hurkacz will need to come back down to Earth quickly. Having beaten Federer and Daniil Medvedev, the world No 2, on successive days, the Pole will face Matteo Berrettini on Friday for a place in the final. Berrettini, the Queen’s champion and seventh seed, prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach his second grand slam semi-final.