Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors is in serious jeopardy of being tied.
By Roger Federer.
Roger Federer establishes himself as a Wimbledon favorite with Gerry Weber title
The 32-year-old Swiss star took a step closer to putting to rest the argument of greatest tennis player of all time when he beat fellow Swiss star and Australian Open champion Stanislaus Wawrinka in four sets Wednesday in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Earlier this year, Andre Agassi had said he thought Rafael Nadal was the greatest.
Federer, the all-time tennis leader with 17 Grand Slam Victories, is two matches away from No. 18 and his eighth Wimbledon trophy.
The ageless Federer is enjoying the 2014 version of Wimbledon far more than the 2013 version, in which Federer was bounced in the second round by 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky. A bad back hampered Federer for most of last year, dropping his world ranking to No. 8.
Roger Federer unaware he won match point during Gerry Weber semifinal
"I'm just really pleased that I'm back strong at Wimbledon," Federer told the BBC shortly after the match, according to USA TODAY Sports. "Last year I didn't even come close. I was very deflated leaving Wimbledon on that note."
Now back at No. 4 and seeded fourth, Federer faces No. 8-seeded Milos Raonic, who is making his first-ever appearance at a Grand Slam semifinal. Federer owns a 4-0 career record against Raonic, not to mention an 8-0 record in Wimbledon semifinals.
Besides his improved health, Federer has switched to a bigger racket head, using a 97-inch from as compared to the 85-inch frame he used last year. Federer also has sought more coaching, using the expertise of former No. 1 Stefan Edberg.
Should Federer get past Raonic, he'll likely face No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the finals. Federer, however, owns an 18-16 record against Djokovic during their careers and is 2-1 vs. Djoker in 2014. In their last match at the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters in April, Federer beat Djokovic in three sets, although Djokovic was suffering from a right wrist injury.
The prevailing sentiment is that if Federer can return to the final of a major tennis tournament, he will move heaven and earth to add to his record number of Grand Slam wins.
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