The bookmaker upsets just keep coming at Wimbledon this year. The latest one was six-time Wimbledon champion and Internet bookmaker favorite Roger Federer losing in four sets to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. It is the first time since 2002 that Federer did not reach the final at Wimbledon.
Bookmaker odds now favor Rafael Nadal to take the title but this year at Wimbledon nothing is a given. Federer struggled in the first round but he had looked good since his opening round difficulty. He was not expected to have any trouble with Berdych who was the 12th seed. It didn’t work out that way though as Berdych won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, and 6-4 to make the semifinals. It will be the first appearance for Berdych in the semifinals at Wimbledon. He will face third seed Novak Djokovic who had no trouble with Yen-Hsun, winning in straight sets. Djokovic completely dominated his match, winning 26 of his first 28 service points. Three years ago it was Djokovic reaching the semifinals but he lost to Nadal.
The days of Roger Federer being a big favorite at the sports books could be coming to an end. Federer will turn 29 next month and it is becoming obvious that his game is not what it once was. He did win the Australian Open in January but he has not played very well since that time. Federer had reached 23 straight semifinals in Grand Slam Event but after the loss to Berdych, he has failed to reach the semis in the last two majors. Federer is blaming his poor play recently on an injury but it could be that he is just past his prime.
Federer was trying to win a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title but it appears that goal may be tough to achieve. He didn’t play well in his first match and probably should have lost to Alejandro Falla but he survived. He was not able to do so in the quarterfinals against Berdych. The loss is really telling for Federer since Berdych is not a top-10 player. Federer had been 42-0 at Wimbledon against players ranked outside the top-10. Federer will drop to number three in the world rankings for the first time since 2003.