Federer shines bright in twilight zone

London : Roger Federer insists he is only slightly surprised to find himself tantalisingly within touching distance of a record eighth Wimbledon title despite his 36th birthday fast approaching.
The Swiss star reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4 6-2 7-6(4) win over Milos Raonic. It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career.
At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semifinals after Ken Rosewall who finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39. With ‘Big Four’ rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering injury-hit exits on Wednesday and Rafael Nadal having lost in the fourth round, Federer is favourite to reclaim the Wimbledon title and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012. “The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career,” said Federer, who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday’s semifinals.