By Chris Oddo | Saturday July 2, 2016
12 up and 12 down has been a nice Sunday drive type of way to reach the quarterfinals, but Roger Federer’s 2016 Wimbledon campaign will have to shift into high gear on Wednesday when the Swiss maestro meets hard-serving, grass-loving Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.
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Federer once owned a 5-0 record against Cilic and the perception was that the Swiss had Cilic under his thumb like he does with so many other elite talents. But that perception shifted dramatically in 2014 when Cilic absolutely trounced Federer in the U.S. Open semifinals. It was a breathtaking performance for Cilic, one that Federer remembers all too vividly.
“Everything he touched went in,” Federer remarked on Monday after defeating American Steve Johnson in the round of 16. “I don't know. It was ‘All right, here is a chance, boom. Maybe here is another chance, boom.’ That's kind of how it was for three straight sets.”
Federer told the BBC that Cilic blew him off the court in that match, and later he told reporters that he didn’t play as poorly as the 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline suggested.
“I didn't play poorly in any way,” he said. “It was just all on his racquet. It was very seldom that I was blown off the court like that.”
What’s to keep Cilic from doing that again? Many are wondering about that right now around the grounds of the All England Club. But some might take the other side of the coin and wonder: Can Cilic possibly produce a pitch-perfect performance like that against Federer again?
The answer likely lies somewhere in between. Cilic is indeed a dangerous foe that has three consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinals to his name now, but let’s not forget which player is the seven-time Wimbledon champion here.
Perhaps the experience of getting shellacked by Cilic will actually do Federer some good as he prepares for his biggest match of his hodgepodge 2016 season. With a week’s worth of cruise control under his belt, it’s time for Federer to tap the accelerator and test out the limitations of his world-class engine.
Federer has already seen Cilic’s form here at Wimbledon as the pair had a practice session together before tournament. That turned out to be a wise decision for Federer, who will no doubt benefit from having faced Cilic’s brand of heavy artillery in the recent past.
“He's really tough to play,” Federer admitted on Monday, when asked to give his thoughts on the former U.S. Open champion. “He's really improved his serve in the last few years, especially since U.S. Open. I've never seen him serve that consistently well. He can clearly do it here at Wimbledon, too.”
Federer added that the hotter, drier weather might favor Cilic’s game, because Centre Court will play faster with the roof open and on a harder surface, but many consider those to be Federer’s preferred conditions as well.
Whatever the conditions, Federer will benefit from his run to the quarterfinals, confidence-wise.
“I'm happy about my game as well, that I've been able to rise now to the occasion and play a really good match against Johnson today,” he said. “I think it was by far my best match. I'm confident also going to the Cilic match. I think it's a tough one. He likes grass. He's won Queen's before, I think, and has done well here. I'm looking forward to a tough one here.”
Cilic, who was leading Kei Nishikori, 6-1, 5-1 during Monday’s quarterfinal when Nishikori retired with a rib injury, and has only dropped one set in four matches at Wimbledon, says he’ll take confidence into his seventh career battle with Federer, and first on grass.
“That was definitely one of my best matches in the career,” he told the press on Monday after reaching the quarterfinals. “We haven't played since then. That could be another good thing for me, that I can just look back at that match and know what things I was doing really well.”
He added: “I definitely am playing well at the moment. I went through the draw pretty comfortably. I didn't have too many ups and downs with my game, so that's also another thing that's going to give me a lot of confidence.”