Federer, a six-time champion at the All England Club, remains one title behind his American friend Sampras. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the acrobatic Frenchman, made certain it stayed that way by managing what no man had against Federer in a Grand Slam tournament.
Until Wednesday’s quarterfinals, Federer was 178-0 when he won the first two sets of a major singles match. But Tsonga — with his potent serve, percussive forehand and corner-to-corner athleticism — put an end to that streak, allowing Federer just one break point and rallying to win, 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, on Centre Court.
“I think my game was plenty good enough this year to win the tournament, but unfortunately there’s only one who can win it, and the rest go home empty-handed,” Federer said. “That’s what happened to me today, but Jo played an amazing match.”
For his efforts, Tsonga, a 26-year-old seeded 12th here, will get to play Novak Djokovic on Friday in the semifinals.
“You know, it’s not only the top four,” Djokovic said of Tsonga. “There are other players that are able to play great tennis, and Tsonga has proved it today. It’s all very close at this level, especially in the second week of a Grand Slam.”
If Djokovic beats Tsonga, he will claim the No. 1 ranking next week for the first time, passing Rafael Nadal. But Nadal, the top-seeded Spaniard, can still defend his title at Wimbledon. Showing no signs of limited mobility Wednesday, he defeated Mardy Fish, the 10th seed and last American in either singles draw, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
