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Fifteen years to the day after his first title at the All England Club, Roger Federer looked very much like the champion he first became in 2003 as he clinched his spot in the second week of The Championships on Friday.
The top seed stretched his Wimbledon consecutive sets won streak to 29, beating German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in 94 minutes. Six more flawless sets and Federer will snap his own record of 34 consecutive Wimbledon sets, which he achieved between the third round in 2005 and the 2006 final. Today's victory, his 175th on grass, also saw Federer break a tie with Jimmy Connors for the most match wins on the surface. (Learn More)
“I'm happy I found a way today. Some moments where it can be frustrating because you're not finding any rhythm, at times you're more reacting than playing active tennis. But it's okay. I knew that going in. I'm just very pleased that I found a way in that first set, then also stayed calm in the second set,” Federer said.
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The eight-time champion was at his best from the start against Struff, breaking the aggressive German with a backhand pass for a 4-2 lead. Struff threw almost everything at Federer, serving and volleying and charging the net 31 times (16/31).
But Federer handled it all and had his own tricks, including a successful third-set appearance by his trademark SABR – Sneak Attack By Roger – for the 28-year-old right-hander. The Swiss tossed in his slice well, forcing the 6'5” German to lumber and bend down for skidding balls.
Struff didn't fade, though, playing his best in the second set to get to 5-5. But Federer broke in the 11th game with a backhand slice return that Struff could only watch float past him.
The German had come back from two sets down in both of his earlier matches, against 32nd seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina and Ivo Karlovic of Croatia. But not against Federer, who broke in the third and seventh games and never faced a break point.
“I'm happy I did it. I'm happy it worked,” Federer said of his SABR attempt. “After that I feel like I got, how do you say, there is a buzz for me. 'Okay, shall I do it again, no? What shall I do now this next time?' I think it just helps me with keeping it exciting.
“I already always have the option of slicing or coming over. Then with the SABR, I think it makes it more fun for me. That's always the idea for me in practice or matches, keep it entertaining, keep things going. I always look for new ways to win the point.”

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Federer has yet to be broken at SW19, and it's the fourth time he's reached the Round of 16 without dropping serve (2004, won title; 2014, finalist; 2015, finalist).
The top seed will next meet France's Adrian Mannarino, who booked his third trip to the Wimbledon fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3 win against Russian Daniil Medvedev. The 22nd-seeded Mannarino will try to make his first Grand Slam quarter-final and pick up his maiden victory against Federer, who leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-0.
Read More: The Maturation of Mannarino
Did You Know?
Only two players have come back from two sets down three times at the same Grand Slam tournament: Henri Cochet at the 1927 Wimbledon and Tommy Robredo at the 2013 Roland Garros.

Roger Federer sent a warning to his title rivals at The Championships on Monday when he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 16th time. The eighth-time champion competed with great fluency and was a continual threat to French No. 22 seed Adrian Mannarino in a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

Federer has now won 32 consecutive sets at Wimbledon — only two sets shy of his record 34 sets won between 2005-06 — and held serve 81 times in a row. He will next prepare to challenge eighth-seeded South African Kevin Anderson, who defeated Gael Monfils of France 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 5-7, 7-6(4). He leads Anderson 4-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, but the pair has not met since August 2015 at the Western & Southern Open.

“If you give yourself [the] maximum [number of] chances, you're playing well, you have super focus, then these streaks are kind of possible,” said Federer. “In practice at the moment, I'm not working on anything specific. It's really about being just solid. The goal is to win matches and not to be too creative right now. That's going to happen naturally if I play well. I'm really just focused on that.”

Prior to The Championships this year, Federer captured the 98th trophy of his career at the MercedesCup (d. Raonic) and finished runner-up at the Gerry Weber Open (l. to Coric). He has a 28-3 record on the season, which also includes his 20th major crown at the Australian Open (d. Cilic) and his third at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament (d. Dimitrov).

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Mannarino was unable to find his rhythm in the first set, unsure of his ball striking, movement and positioning with Federer winning 25 of the 30 points in the 16-minute passage of play. Errors by Mannarino on two backhands and one forehand handed Federer a 5-0 lead, with the Swiss sealing the set when Mannarino hit a lob long. Federer, who had not faced a break point in three previous matches in the first week, saved one break point opportunity for Mannarino at 5-0, 30/40 with an ace.

“I was also surprised it was that fast, that first set, especially 16 minutes,” said Federer. “That was too fast. [It] shouldn't really happen, but thankfully they do for me. I probably won't have another 6-0 set this week, so I'll enjoy this one.”

It came as a relief to both Mannarino and the capacity Centre Court crowd, when the Frenchmen saved three break points and held serve in the opening game of the second set. It wasn’t until Mannarino’s eighth service game that Federer did not create a break point chance, and slowly the 30-year-old grew in confidence — striking one backhand winner at 80 miles per hour in the 10th game. Nerves played their part at 5-5, when Mannarino became hesitant on his forehand and Federer took advantage.

Mannarino came within one point of taking a 5-3 lead – on three occasions – in the third set, but a forehand winner from Federer, then two backhand errors gave the Swiss a reprieve. It sparked the top seed into life as he broke Mannarino in the next game en route to his 95th match win at the All England Club (95-11) over one hour and 45 minutes.

“I was just trying to do as well as I could, but he was too good,” said Mannarino, who was playing on Centre Court for the fourth time. “Against Federer you have to play really well from the beginning. The last time we played each other [in the 2017 Swiss Indoors Basel quarter-finals], I won the first set.

“The thing with Roger is that he is making you work all the time. He's not giving you any points. He's returning all the time unless if you're really, really serving well, but he pushes you to serve the best you can do. You have to play well from the start of the match.”

The 30-year-old Mannarino is now 18-18 on the year, which includes his second straight final appearance at the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya (l. to Dzumhur), two days prior to the start of Wimbledon.

After falling in five sets to Kevin Anderson in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, Roger Federer admitted that he lost the ability to surprise his opponent, who came from two sets down for the third time in his career, to score a stunning upset on No. 1 Court.

“The first set felt great,” said Federer. “ reading the serve. He wasn't getting many aces. When I was on, I was making him play. From the baseline I felt like I could mix it up and play aggressive. There was a lot going on.

“As the match went on, I couldn't surprise him any more. That's a bad feeling to have. It's not like it hasn't happened before. I've been in many, many matches like this... I couldn't come up with enough good stuff for him to miss more. I think that was the key at the end.”

The 36-year-old, who entered the match having won 81 consecutive service games at The All England Club, looked in full control of the quarter-final clash as he closed in on a record 35th consecutive set at SW19 to clinch a straight-sets victory. But Federer slowly lost his grip on the encounter after failing to convert match point at 5-4 Ad Out in the third set, while Anderson began to find the lines following an increase in aggression.

”Today, when I needed it, I couldn't get [my level] up... I didn't see it coming,” admitted Federer. “From that standpoint, I felt great in practice, good in the warm up. I am feeling the ball well. Even now, losing, I still feel like the feeling is there. It just happened to be that today wasn't the day.”

Federer, who was bidding to reach his 13th Wimbledon quarter-final, discussed how he struggled to find his best level after racing to a one-set lead in under half an hour.

”[It was] just a bad day from my side, except the first set,” said Federer. “After that, I never really felt exactly 100 per cent. That has nothing to do with my opponent. It was just one of those days where you hope to get by somehow. I could have. I should have."

The top seed had played four hours and three minutes less than Anderson coming into the last-eight meeting and appeared mentally and physically fresh throughout the four-hour, 14-minute duel. Federer also entered the fifth set with far greater experience, having played 50 deciding fifth sets compared to Anderson’s 20.

“I felt good actually. Sure, it's disappointing losing the next two sets after winning the first two and having match point. I've been there before. I know what kind of energy I need to bring to the fifth. I was able to bring that,” said Federer.



“To be honest, I didn't feel mental fatigue. Now I feel horribly fatigued and just awful. It's just terrible. But that's how it goes, you know. Credit to him.”

At the conclusion of his 20th consecutive Wimbledon campaign, Federer owns a 95-12 record at The All England Club and holds a record eight Gentlemen’s Singles titles. The 98-time tour-level titlist took a moment to reflect on his love for the grass-court Grand Slam championship.

“I just love being around [Wimbledon],” said Federer. “It's a good vibe. We have a good time as a family. I have great memories from here. My heroes all won here. Every time I come back here, I try to be like them, so it's nice to be here.”

But Federer, who was bidding to win consecutive Wimbledon titles for the first time in since 2007, added that he is not sure how long it may take to get over the surprise loss.

“I don't know how long it's going to take me. It might take me a while or it might take me half an hour. I have no idea what it's going to be.

“Of course, the goal is to come back here next year. I wouldn't call it unfinished business. I felt like I did some good business here in the past already. So I'm all right. just disappointed now.”

Federer, who has held the World No. 1 ATP Ranking on three occasions this season, drops to 25-4 in 2018. The 36-year-old has won three tour-level titles from five finals this year.

Federer opened his season by winning his 20th Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open, before clinching returns to the top ranking spot after title runs at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament and the Mercedes Cup. Federer also reached championship matches at the BNP Paribas Open in March and the Gerry Weber Open in June.

- W pewnym momencie straciłem kontrolę nad meczem, ale nie jestem w stanie dokładnie określić, kiedy - powiedział Roger Federer po porażce z Kevinem Andersonem w ćwierćfinale wielkoszlemowego Wimbledonu 2018.

Wimbledon: od prowadzenia 2-0 w setach i meczbola do porażki. Roger Federer przegrał z Kevinem Andersonem
W ćwierćfinale Wimbledonu 2018, w środę, Roger Federer przegrał 6:2, 7:6(5), 5:7, 4:6, 11:13 z Kevinem Andersonem, choć w trzeciej partii miał meczbola. - Pierwszy set był świetny - mówił na konferencji prasowej. - Odczytywałem jego serwis, przez co on nie posyłał wielu asów i był zmuszany przeze mnie do wymian. Dobrze czułem się w grze z linii końcowej. Byłem agresywny i zmieniałem rytm akcji. Wszystko działało. Ale potem nie potrafiłem go zaskoczyć. A to jest złe uczucie.
Dla Szwajcara to pierwsza porażka z Afrykanerem w piątej konfrontacji. - W pewnym momencie straciłem kontrolę nad meczem, ale nie jestem w stanie dokładnie określić, kiedy. Podczas pojedynku jest wiele małych punktów, które mają wpływ na końcowy wynik. Być może była to niewykorzystana piłka meczowa? Może sytuacja, kiedy zostałem przełamany przy stanie 5:5 w trzecim secie? - zastanawiał się.

Tenisista z Bazylei piąty raz w karierze przegrał mecz, mimo prowadzenia 2-0 w setach. - To rozczarowujące, kiedy przegrywasz, choć zdobyłeś dwa pierwsze sety i masz meczbola w trzecim. Nie mogłem znaleźć sposobu, by zmusić go do pomyłek. Podczas treningu i rozgrzewki czułem się dobrze, ale w czasie gry nie byłem w stanie podnieść swojego poziomu wtedy, kiedy tego potrzebowałem. Co gorsze, nawet nie czułem, że to może nastąpić. A to mogło zrobić różnicę. Poza pierwszym setem, był to mój zły mecz. To był jeden z tych dni i tych pojedynków, kiedy masz nadzieję, że przetrwasz.

36-latek zaprzeczył, że wpływ na jego porażkę miał stan fizyczny. - Wiem, jak dysponować siłami, gdy dochodzi do piątego seta. Podczas gry nie czułem się zmęczony mentalnie. Teraz, po spotkaniu, czuję się okropnie zmęczony i muszę się zregenerować.

Mimo przegranej, Helwet docenił postawę rywala. - Był konsekwentny i solidny. Robił to, co w danym momencie potrzebował. Muszę oddać mu uznanie.


REKLAMA
Federer zapowiedział, że w przyszłym roku wróci na korty Wimbledonu. - Porażki bolą, bo nigdy nie chcesz być tym przegranym. Tłumaczenie się z porażek to najgorsze uczucie, jakie może spotkać tenisistę.

- Moim celem jest powrót w przyszłym roku, bo uwielbiam tu być. W Wimbledonie panuje dobra atmosfera i świetnie się tutaj czuję z rodziną. Mam stąd wspaniałe wspomnienia. Wygrywali tutaj wszyscy moi bohaterowie z dzieciństwa, dlatego za każdym razem, gdy tu wracam, chcę być taki, jak oni. Nie chcę nazywać tego "niedokończonym biznesem". Uważam, że w przeszłości robiłem tu świetne interesy. Jestem po prostu rozczarowany - dodał ośmiokrotny zwycięzca The Championships.

ATPWorldTour.com remembers Fed's most epic Wimbledon encounters

Five-set thrillers are as much a part of Roger Federer's Wimbledon folklore as his record eight titles. They have delivered some of his greatest moments in the sport, but have also inflicted some of his deepest pain.

Another five-set epic was added to Federer's remarkable collection at SW19 Wednesday when, after failing to convert a match point in the third set, he lost 13-11 in the fifth to Kevin Anderson.

Federer has played 13 five-setters at SW19 (7-6; 30-21 overall). Below is a look at Federer's most dramatic five-setters he has played at Wimbledon in his 20 consecutive appearances:

10. 2016 Semi-final, Raonic d. Federer 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
After Federer saved three match points against Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals, the Swiss great had an aura of destiny around him at SW19. This was his time, again, or so it seemed. But Milos Raonic had the same feeling, and the Canadian showed his best grass-court tennis for the biggest win of his career.

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9. 2012 Third Round, Federer d. Benneteau 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-1
For two sets, Federer seemed destined to head the way that Rafael Nadal had gone one day earlier: home. The Spaniard had fallen to Czech Lukas Rosol, and the upset bug seemed like it was spreading, quickly. But Federer recovered in time against Julien Benneteau and would go on to beat Andy Murray in the final for his first Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open. The Grand Slam triumph was Federer's only one from 2010 Roland Garros through the 2016 US Open, a stretch of 27 Grand Slams.

8. 2014 Final, Djokovic d. Federer 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4
Novak Djokovic had come too far for it happen again, hadn't he? The Serbian had lost five of his past six Grand Slam finals before meeting Federer in the 2014 final. Djokovic led Federer, who hadn't won a Grand Slam title in two years, two sets to one and had a match point in the ninth game of the fourth set. But Federer saved it with an ace and gave his fans hope by finishing off the fourth set. Djokovic, however, rallied for his second Wimbledon title.

7. 2011 Quarter-final, Tsonga d. Federer 3-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Before facing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2011 quarter-final, Federer had been 178-0 after winning the first two sets of a Grand Slam match. Then he played the red-hot and big-hitting Frenchman, who broke in each of the final three sets to stun the Swiss. It marked the second consecutive Wimbledon in which Federer was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

6. 2007 Final, Federer d. Nadal 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2
Federer, the reigning four-time champion, was ready to continue his attack on history. Yet here was Rafael Nadal once more making the Swiss aware of his presence on all surfaces. The Swiss would hold off the Spaniard for now, but it wouldn't be long before Nadal would be hoisting the Gentlemen's Singles Trophy for the first time.

5. 2016 Quarter-final, Federer d. Cilic 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3
This was Cilic's turn to extend Federer's dry spell at Grand Slams. The Croatian was blasting aces and forehands past Federer. But the seven-time champion roared back, saving three match points for one of his greatest escape acts yet. His 18th Grand Slam title had to wait, however, as he fell in the semi-finals to Raonic.

4. 2018 Quarter-final, Anderson d. Federer 2-6, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11
After Federer went up two sets to zero against Anderson, his 13th Wimbledon quarter-final looked like a lock, and that was especially the case after the 36-year-old Swiss saw a match point in the ninth game of the third set. But Anderson, who reached his maiden Grand Slam final last year at the US Open, outplayed Federer and took the quarter-final from the eight-time champion to advance to his first Wimbledon semi-final.

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3. 2009 Final, Federer d. Roddick 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14
Just one year on from his 9-7 fifth-set loss to Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final, Federer found himself locked in another Wimbledon final for the ages against Andy Roddick. The Swiss was forced to fire a career-high 50 aces to hold out the American 16-14 in the fifth to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown.

2. 2001 Fourth Round, Federer d. Sampras 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4
Pete Sampras was the King of Wimbledon. The American had won seven of the past eight SW19 titles (1993-95, '97-2000), and looked well on his way to an eighth celebration. But Federer, then an up-and-coming youngster, prevailed past Sampras in a match that dripped with symbolism. The two never played again, and Sampras played his last match one year later, at the 2002 US Open, winning his 14th Grand Slam title.


1. 2008 Final, Nadal d. Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7
“The Greatest Match Ever Played,” as it's now commonly known, had as many twists and turns as a best-selling Dan Brown novel, with Nadal, who had lost the 2006 and 2007 final to Federer, taking a two-sets lead and appearing close to a straight-sets dethroning of Federer, who was going for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title. The Spaniard eventually celebrated his maiden Wimbledon crown, but only after rain delayed the match, light faded and 16 games were played in the memorable fifth set.

Roger Federer, the No. 1 seed at these Wimbledon championships, came into his quarterfinal match riding a 32-set winning streak and having held serve 82 straight times at the All England Club.

On Wednesday, he went up two sets to love against Kevin Anderson, a formidable but clearly overmatched player. Federer even held a match point at 5-4 in the third.

Everything was working seamlessly for Federer -- until it wasn't.

From that point on, he found himself in a dogfight. More than two hours after that match point, Federer and Anderson battled and battled. In the penultimate game, Federer hit a shot that went close to the line, the crowd gasped, but Anderson was able to get the ball back in play. Federer made his way into net, but the crowd made more noise as Federer flubbed the volley, leading to the break and ultimately the match.

Stunned and defeated, Federer's run toward a record ninth Wimbledon title ended with the loss. The final score: 6-2, 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 13-11 in 4 hours, 14 minutes. It was only the seventh OT match (meaning longer than 7-6 in the fifth) in Federer's career, and his first since beating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the 2009 Wimbledon final.

How crazy was this upset? Here's some more perspective:

For only the fifth time (and third in 269 Grand Slam matches), Federer squandered a two-set lead.


ESPN Stats & Info
How rare was it that Federer would lose after holding a match point in a major?


ESPN Stats & Info
Federer became the first No. 1 men's seed to lose any Grand Slam match when holding a two-set lead since Lleyton Hewitt fell to Tommy Robredo in the 2003 French Open. (For what it's worth, Robredo is the player responsible for another one of the memorable Federer upsets, when he beat the Swiss in the fourth round of the 2013 US Open.

No. 1 Men's Seeds To Lose After Holding 2-0 Set Lead; Open Era
EVENT NO. 1 PLAYER OPP.
2003 French Lleyton Hewitt Tommy Rodredo
1989 French Ivan Lendl Michael Chang
1984 French John McEnroe Ivan Lendl
1977 French Ilie Nastase Brian Gottfried
1976 Wimbledon Arthur Ashe Vitas Gerulaitis
Oddly enough, the final set of the match lasted 90 minutes, as long as each of Federer's first two matches.

Roger Federer-Kevin Anderson: Minutes Per Set
SET MINUTES
First 26
Second 52
Third 52
Fourth 34
Fifth 90

WIMBLEDON -- He was already up a break in just the second game of the match, and after flicking a brilliant reaction shot past Kevin Anderson, eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer reached 30-love. He was rolling. A few rows up in sunlit Court No. 1, a fan opened a bottle of champagne with an audible pop.

The celebration was premature.

EDITOR'S PICKS

Breaking points: Roger Federer squanders huge lead at Wimbledon
It was all going swimmingly for Roger Federer, until it wasn't. The No. 1 seed could not hang on to a two-set lead in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, leading to one of the more memorable upsets in his career.


Anderson stuns Federer in 5; Nadal survives
Kevin Anderson stunned top seed Roger Federer, rallying from two sets down to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon. Rafael Nadal also survived to win in five sets.

Federer would rip through the first set in 23 minutes, but a little under four hours later the top seed would leave Wimbledon a beloved but bruised and beaten icon. He had wandered into the land of the giants, the territory populated by his opponent, Anderson, as well as potential semifinal opponents John Isner and Milos Raonic. He did not survive to see which one he might face in a penultimate match.

Anderson, the 6-foot-8 South African transplant to Florida, stood tall in the face of Federer's furious onslaught early in the match. Weathering it, he slowly consolidated and dialed in his big game until he nailed a final, unreturnable serve to Federer's backhand to win the match, 2-6, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11.

"I feel horribly fatigued and just awful. It's just terrible. But that's how it goes, you know. Credit to him."
Roger Federer
Afterward, Federer denied that mental fatigue played a role in the loss, even though he had won his last six five-set matches that went the distance while Anderson had lost his last three. It was a different story after the loss sank in. "I feel horribly fatigued [now] and just awful. It's just terrible. But that's how it goes, you know. Credit to him."

Instead of having been ground down, Federer suggested, he had just suffered "one of those days," the kind when things gradually go south, never to come back together. When the pieces don't fit together quite right. The kind of day that has occurred so infrequently in his storied career, and so rarely when the whole world is watching. Once Federer lost contact with his A-game, he kept searching for it like a guy trying to pull in a weak radio signal.

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2:52
Federer: Disappointed I couldn't take my chances todayEight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer laments his missed chances but credits his opponent for his consistency and high level of play.
"The first set I felt great," he said. "I was reading the serve. He wasn't getting many aces. When I was on, I was making him play. From the baseline I felt like I could mix it up, play aggressive. There was a lot going on. But as the match went on, I couldn't surprise him anymore. That's a bad feeling to have."

That's an especially bad feeling for one of whom so much is expected. But the brooding confession partially concealed the role Anderson played in keeping Federer from recovering his momentum. Both men served well, which might have been expected. But Anderson was on point the entire time over the final three sets with his groundstrokes from the baseline, while Federer made surprisingly few adjustments in his game plan to throw him off. He may not have tried a single drop shot. He seemed to be waiting for Anderson's ground game to break down. It never did.

"I wasn't feeling particularly well off the baseline. I couldn't really get the rallies going the way I wanted to, especially the one-two punch wasn't working at all today," Federer said, referring to the deadly combination of his serve and first-strike forehand. "Once I couldn't get that going, once I was in the rallies, it was hard to get him moving."

Perhaps it was the breeze, Federer said, or maybe just a bad day on his side of the net. But he said he never really felt 100 percent. It was one of those days when, in the waning moments when it really counted, he was unable to put together one of those breathtaking blasts of genius that breaks down even the gamest of opponents.

In the coming days and weeks there's bound to be a great deal of speculation about what this means for Federer in the long term. There certainly was a ragged quality to parts of his game in the late stages, as he struggled to keep both an unruly forehand and his backhand in line. "You could see his concentration waver in that fifth set," Andrew Castle, the former player, said in a BBC post-match chat. "That's hardly surprising; after all, he is 36 years old."

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2:26
Anderson: I kept telling myself today was going to be my dayAn emotional Kevin Anderson says he never lost hope, after coming back from two sets down to defeat Roger Federer in a thrilling quarterfinal.
Ah, there's that magic number, and that issue that will hang over Federer's head until the day he decides to call it quits.

Some, as eager to identify the moment a champion fails as the moment he first triumphs, may say this could be the beginning of the end. It certainly was a big lead he let slip, the first match he lost in five sets after winning the first two since Novak Djokovic came back to eliminate him in the U.S. Open semis of 2011.

But this was a quarterfinal at a Wimbledon where Federer had literally ripped through four previous matches. And Anderson is a lean and sinewy ball punisher, a 32-year-old who has worked tirelessly and more or less anonymously to become a Top 10 staple. He's a one-step-at-a-time guy, a defending US Open finalist who's earned a place alongside Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro and Milos Raonic in the gallery of gruesome ace makers. No shame in losing to a player in that group by any score or number of sets on Wimbledon grass.

"I don't know how long it's going to take me (to get over this)," Federer said. "It might take me a while, might take me half an hour. I have no idea. Of course the goal is to come back here next year. I'm all right. I'm just disappointed now."

It's probably a good sign for those hoping to see Federer gambol across these lawns again that he admits that the infrequent losses hurt more as time goes on, "It motivates me to do extremely well because I don't want to sit here and explain my loss. That's the worst feeling you can have as a tennis player."

It sounds like there will be more opportunities for Federer fans to pop the cork on the champagne at Wimbledon.