Roger Federer could make history by becoming the first man to win six successive Wimbledon titles on Sunday but he won’t be satisfied until he’s added at least five more to his name.

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The world No.1 is unbeaten on grass in six years after racking up his 64th win in a row on the surface by cruising past Mario Ancic on Wednesday to set up a mouthwatering semi-final with Marat Safin.

“I’ll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years,” insisted the 26-year-old Federer.

“Doesn’t matter how I play from here. I think my game’s made for grass. There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents.

“But I always found a way to win. Of course, my dream is to not only win this year, but for many more years to come. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll try to win the next one again. This is what it’s all about for me at this stage.”

If he achieves his goal, it will comfortably make him the most successful grand slam winner of all time, surpassing close friend Pete Sampras’s record of 14.

At the moment, his running tally stands at 12.

However, on Friday he has to get past Safin, a former world No.1 and US Open and Australian Open champion who’s been the revelation of Wimbledon by defying his world ranking of 75 to reach his first All England Club semi-final.

Friday’s match will be the volatile Russian’s first grand slam last four appearance since 2005, the year when he beat Federer on his way to taking the Australian Open, his last trophy performance on the tour.

Federer, who holds an 8-2 career winning record over Safin including a straight sets fourth round win here in 2007, has nothing but respect for his opponent.

That admiration can only have been enhanced by seeing Safin destroy world No.3 Novak Djokovic in the second round.

For the Swiss, Safin’s current lowly ranking is irrelevant.

“I have never looked at Marat like No.75 in the world. That’s ridiculous. He knows that himself. He’s finally showing again what he can do,” said Federer.

“It should be interesting. Last year I wasn’t happy to see Safin in my draw. I’m never happy. He probably knows that.”

FACTBOX ON ROGER FEDERER AND MARAT SAFIN:

1-ROGER FEDERER V MARAT SAFIN
Head-to-head: Federer leads 8-2
2007 Wimbledon, grass, R32, Federer 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4)
2005 Halle, grass, final, Federer 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4
2005 Australian Open, hard, semi, Safin 5-7 6-4 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 9-7
2004 Masters Cup, Houston, hard, semi, Federer 6-3 7-6 (20-18)
2004 Dubai, hard, R32, Federer 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4)
2004 Australian Open, hard, final, Federer 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-2
2002 Moscow, carpet, quarter, Safin 7-5 6-4
2002 Hamburg, clay, final, Federer 6-1 6-3 6-4
2002 Davis Cup, Moscow, clay, RR, Federer 7-5 6-1 6-2
2001 Rome, clay, R32, Federer 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

ROGER FEDERER (SUI)
Age: 26
Ranking: 1
Seeding: 1
Plays: right-handed
Career prize money: $US40,979,981 ($A42.75 million)
Career titles: 55
Grand slam titles: 12 (Australian Open 2004, 2006, 2007; Wimbledon 2003-2007, US Open 2004-07)
Wimbledon win-loss record: 43-4
Best Wimbledon performances: champion 2003-07

MARAT SAFIN (RUS)
Age: 28
Ranking: 75
Seeding: unseeded
Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money: $US13,335,086 ($A13.97 million)
Career titles: 15
Grand slam titles: 2 (US Open 2000, Australian Open 2005)
Wimbledon win-loss record: 16-8
Best Wimbledon performances: semi-finals 2008, quarter-finals 2001

© AP 2012

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