Seven-time champion Roger Federer demolished Milos Raonic 6-4 6-4 6-4 to reach his ninth Wimbledon final on Friday where he will face old rival Novak Djokovic for the 35th time.
Federer will be chasing a record eighth Wimbledon title and 18th grand slam crown overall in what will be his 25th championship match at a major while top seed Djokovic, the champion in 2011, targets a seventh major in his third Wimbledon final in four years.
Djokovic had earlier defeated Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (9-7) as the threatened overthrow of the established order fell flat.
Federer, 32, who becomes the oldest man to make a grand slam final since Andre Agassi reached the 2005 Australian Open final at the age of 33, will take an 18-16 career lead over Djokovic into Sunday’s championship match.
“It was down to big concentration really,” said Federer, who will be playing in his first grand slam final since Wimbledon in 2012 when he went level with Pete Sampras as a seven-time winner.
“I had to focus on every point. You always say that but today especially I had to be careful on my serve and there were only a few chances when he served.
“I took those chances and I’m unbelievably happy. I’ve played some great tennis this week, under pressure at times as well.”
Federer added he was delighted to have made the final 12 months after suffering a second round exit at the hands of Sergiy Stakhovsky.
The Swiss has beaten Djokovic in two out of three meetings in 2014 and was looking forward to renewing their rivalry which stretches back to 2006.
“Novak and myself always play good matches. We’ve played a lot in the last six months. It’s gone back and forth a bit,” he said.
“He is a great champion and is used to these occasions. He’s got the trophy here in the past and knows how it’s done.
“I know I don’t have 10 years left, so I’m going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. That I get another chance to go through these kinds of emotions is great.”
Raonic entered his first grand slam semi-final having fired a tournament-leading 148 aces.
But that crude, one-dimensional approach was never likely to be enough against a man of Federer’s class.
The Swiss had a 4-0 career advantage over the 23-year-old going into Friday’s encounter and once the seven-time champion broke in the first game, the tone was set for a semi-final which had none of the drama of the earlier tie between Djokovic and Dimitrov.
The Canadian, bidding to become the first man from his country to reach a grand slam singles final, remained oddly impassive throughout his Centre Court examination, never engaging the crowd on his side as his big day passed him by.
Earlier, Djokovic rarely hit peak form in a patchy semi-final but showed all his battling qualities to overcome the Bulgarian 11th seed in a three hour and two minute war of attrition.
World number two Djokovic will reclaim top spot in the rankings from Rafael Nadal for the first time since September 2013 if he lifts the trophy on Sunday.
“I thought I started well, but once again I allowed my opponent to get back into it,” Djokovic said.
“The fourth set could have gone either way but overall I’m happy to be in another Wimbledon final.”
Djokovic has been beaten in five of his past six grand slam finals, with his last major triumph coming at the 2013 Australian Open, and he admitted he is desperate to end that frustrating run.
“I’m looking forward to another championship match, especially considering I have lost the last couple of finals,” he said.
“I will have to be at my best. It’s a big challenge.”
After his sensational quarter-final victory over defending champion Andy Murray, this inconsistent display was a disappointing way for Dimitrov to end his best run at a grand slam.
But the 23-year-old is clearly on the rise and will move into the top 10 for the first time next week.
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