Federer beats Nishikori to set up semifinal clash with Nadal; Djokovic to face Bautista Agut

Can't believe it's been 11 years (since 2008) that Federer and Nadal have faced each other in Wimbledon

For a long time it seemed like they'd always meet each other in Grand Slams

I've never claimed to be a good tennis player

Speak for yourself, smithinjapan. I've never once lost to Federer. Haven't even dropped a set! Nadal either, for that matter.

Whilst Wimbledon rolls on, Cricket,another great English tradition is being played at the same time. Does The Cricket World Cup get any coverage on JT??

Not a mad fan of the old cricket lark, but good point. It's always a chuckle when the England team get more than they bargained for. Be interesting to see how the Ireland match goes, later this month :-)

Who knows? Maybe we can have some GAA coverage as well.

In the meantime, good luck to Federer.

YOU have said year after year this will be Nishikori's year

No need to troll me with this nonsense. Thanks.

fxgai: "Yeah although he has beaten Federer 3 times more than you have."

And how many times has he lost to him? As for the dig at me, I've never claimed to be a good tennis player, let alone have any sense of entitlement to championships. YOU have said year after year this will be Nishikori's year, but when it clearly ends up not being so, you get defensive about your own comments.

"Tone down the hyperbole thanks."

There is no hyperbole in the comment at all -- it is fact. You can see a number of posters on here alone saying as much.

Federer has always been massively overrated

lol clearly havent been watching Federer that much. the guy makes shots that youd think wouldnt be possible.

If you took away Clay courts you could say the same of Nadal. Federer in his prime would be far more fomidable against a player like Djokovic and at 37 can still beat majority of player 15~20yrs younger. You dont win 17 majors by being overrated. One player that is way overrated in Nishikori. Nishikori cant even beat old man Federer

Federer has always been massively overrated winning most of his slams between the Sampras/Agassi era and the Nadal/Djokovic one. Grand Slams won since the 2010 Australian Open: Djokovic-14, Nadal-12 Federer-4.

LunarTunerToday 08:58 am JST

...Cricket,another great English tradition is being played at the same time. Does The Cricket World Cup get any coverage on JT??

LOL, I would prefer to get the latest results from The World Tiddlywinks Championships" than to hear anything about that boring cricket

Well done to make the Best 8, Kei-chan. Federer was too good on the day, no shame to lose to G.O.A.T. But Kei-chans time will come. He still has at least 7 more years of tennis, 7 x 4 majors = at least 28 more chances to win that Major all Japan wants!

Maybe a bit of too much of the Aussie optimism there sport. He’s injury-prone and that could very well tell in his thirties.

I hope he does win one by the way.

Well done to make the Best 8, Kei-chan. Federer was too good on the day, no shame to lose to G.O.A.T. But Kei-chans time will come. He still has at least 7 more years of tennis, 7 x 4 majors = at least 28 more chances to win that Major all Japan wants!

So, beyond the Big 4, the utter lack of depth during this generation 

I think that's in reverse.

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are, I would argue, the three greatest mens players of all-time, without even being finished yet, and are all playing not "alone" in an era (relatively speaking) like perhaps a Pete Sampras or a Serena on the women's side, but all together at the same time. Rather than result in a changing of the guard, one beating the other, makes the other get even better, and on it goes.

So it's not a lack of depth that left a Big 3 to run riot, but their all-time greatness over all the rest. In a sense, I think Federer and Nadal set new standards, and Djokovic has been able to match them.

he simply doesn’t have the talent or skill to beat the big three

Yeah although he has beaten Federer 3 times more than you have.

many Japanese

Tone down the hyperbole thanks.

Fxgai: “Japan wanted to see Nishikori, but I think everyone else wanted to see Fedal...”

That’s the problem, they EXPECTED Noshikori to win when he simply doesn’t have the talent or skill to beat the big three, which is why many Japanese pray they will retire soon so that Nishikori can “progress” without actually requiring the ability to do so. It’s like getting the gold medal in speed skating because the three skaters in front of you wipe out... you didn’t earn it, you got it because the better skaters were no longer in front of you.

all those posters talking about how old Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic and others are getting, and yet they proved superior again. Maybe 2020 will be his year?

Now I can watch the rest of the tournament in peace. I like Nishikori and wish him well but at least now the real fans can move on without hearing his name all day every day. I wonder if people in Japan actually know how great he isn't and how great Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are? I don't need an answer to that..

Whilst Wimbledon rolls on, Cricket,another great English tradition is being played at the same time. Does The Cricket World Cup get any coverage on JT??

Watching that match last night, here's a question that I was thinking about, and am not trying to cast a positive or negative light with: Has Nishikori been helped more or hurt more by being a member of the current generation?

The "hurt more" argument is easy: if Nishikori had avoided playing at the same time as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray, it's almost certain that his trophy room at home would look different.

The "helped more" argument is a little trickier. Nishikori has had almost no tangible victories (0 slams, 0 Masters, his Brisbane title earlier this year was his first "small tournament" win since 2016), and yet he's been a pretty consistent top-10 player for 5 years now (barring injuries). So...how is that possible? Well, the argument is that below the Big 4, we've gone through a long stretch of a really, really bad field of players. Seriously - who are the best non-Big 4 players in the Big 4 era? Wawrinka and del Potro are likely the most talented, but they're always injured. The Zverev / Tsitsipas / Thiem generation has potential, but haven't proven anything yet. Then there's... Ferrer? The unstoppable force known as Marin Cilic? The best player is probably Tomas Berdych, whose career is a little Nishikori-like: top-10 player between 2011-16, no Slams, 1 Masters title, not a serious threat to the Big 4. Other than that, lots of guys in and out of the top 10, but almost none appearing consistently. So, beyond the Big 4, the utter lack of depth during this generation has allowed Nishikori to stay ranked as highly as he has, despite a lack of victories (Of course, I'm not faulting Nishikori for that - his job is to stay ahead of all those other guys, and he's done that. He can't control how good they are)

So, has Nishikori's career been helped more or hurt more by his position in time?

Japan wanted to see Nishikori, but I think everyone else wanted to see Fedal...

Lol, article barely mentions the Kei - Federer contest, I guess everyone wanted Fedal..

Makes sense. Federer and Nadal are all-time greats coming towards the end. I’m not a big tennis fan and they are probably the only two players I’d miss out on my beloved sleep to watch.

Who do you think the world wanted to see? Nishikori?

First set Federer played bad with many unforced errors, kind of similar to when he started this tournament. He needs to start strong against Nadal who has been on great form on grass recently.

According to Ganbare I thought 37 year old Federer would be on his last legs and an easy win for Kei.

Lol, article barely mentions the Kei - Federer contest, I guess everyone wanted Fedal..

Wish Federer v Nadal was the final.