That’s quite a cast Wimbledon came up with for the men’s semifinals: top-ranked Roger Federer, number two Lleyton Hewitt, number three Andy Roddick and … Thomas Johansson?
The oldest player still in the tournament, Johansson is also the most obscure.
Sidelined for all of 2003 by a serious knee injury, the 30-year-old Swede has revived his career and reached the final four at the All England Club.
Playing in his second Grand Slam semifinal, 2002 Australian Open champion Johansson will face Roddick on Friday.
”I know that when I play my best tennis, I can compete with the big boys,” Johansson said.
Grass-court opposition doesn’t come any bigger than Federer, Hewitt and Roddick. It’s the first time the three highest-seeded men have reached the semifinals since 1995.
For the first time since 1993, all four semifinalists have won major titles. And Federer’s match against Hewitt will be the first time the two top-ranked men have met in the semis since 1989.
”It’s like a final for me,” said Hewitt, who advanced by beating Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
The Australian won the title in 2002. His successor as champion was Federer, who also won last year, beating Roddick in the final.
And then there’s Johansson, considered an improbable champion when he won his only major title three-and-a-half years ago. He struggled the rest of that year, then underwent left knee surgery in February 2003.
”A lot of people did not think I was going to be able to come back,” Johansson said.
He was among them, doubting his future when he returned to the courts in early 2004 and failed to win a single set in nearly a week of practice matches.
”I said to my coach, ‘I think this is it,”’ Johansson said. He persevered, rediscovered his strokes and finished last year ranked number 30. Still just 22nd in rankings, but seeded 12th because of his past success on grass, Johansson beat number 18 David Nalbandian 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Nalbandian is the only seeded opponent Johansson has faced. With the help of the favourable draw, he’s the first Swede to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since two-time champion Stefan Edberg in 1993.
Johansson has won his past three matches in straight sets to make the final four.
”I’m not super surprised,” Roddick said. ”He’s the type of guy, when he starts playing well, he plays really well.”
Roddick’s on a roll, too, and into the semifinals for the third year in a row. On Wednesday he outlasted frequent practice partner Sebastien Grosjean 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Roddick came into the tournament following a disappointing clay-court season and had lost his past five five-set matches. He has won two during the fortnight.
”It feels good to get through a couple,” he said. ”There was a lot of heat on me coming into this tournament, and I wanted to prove that I’m still a pretty good tennis player. I’d love to take it further. I’m not satisfied yet.”
The more glamorous semifinal features Federer against Hewitt. As always on grass, Federer will be the favourite: He extended his winning streak on the surface to 34 matches by beating Fernando Gonzalez 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Federer has beaten Hewitt seven times in a row. ”He has been the supreme player, especially on this surface,” Hewitt said. ”He has been nearly unbeatable in certain matches. He doesn’t have a lot of big weaknesses out there, but you’ve got to
try and pin something down. Even then, he can still find ways to win when he’s not hitting the ball great.”
Federer was hitting it well in the quarterfinals, when he warded off a barrage from the big-swinging Gonzalez. Federer improved to 96-5 since June 2004 and is trying to become the third player since 1936 to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles.
”Today the whole match I think I was tense, because I knew another semifinal was possible,” Federer said. ”If I keep on playing like this, that is definitely good. I can beat any player with this level.” – Sapa-AP