Wimbledon Day 9 wrap: Murray gone, Federer marches on

The king is dead, long live The King. Okay, that might sound slightly hyperbolic in respect of a tennis tournament but the sentiment holds true: on the day that the reigning king of Wimbledon (Andy Murray) bid adieu to The Championships, a familiar face edged one step closer towards an eighth title.

Men’s top half: Murray dethroned, Cilic wins epic

Andy Murray’s reign as Wimbledon champion came to a somewhat faltering end as the world No.1 hobbled off Centre Court on Day 9. It had all started so well for Murray. Leading Sam Querrey by a set and a break, the Brit seemed on course for a spot in the semifinals. But once Querrey broke, the momentum started to shift. The American stole a second break in the second to level the match. Murray was starting to struggle with his hip injury, but dig deep to take the third, before the momentum tipped firmly in the American’s favour and he romped away to a 3-6 6-4 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1 win.

“I’m still in a little bit of shock myself,” Querrey said. “I’m just thrilled right now. I didn’t start my best but I just kept with it, kept swinging away and found my groove in the fourth and fifth set.”

“The whole tournament I’ve been a little bit sore,” Murray mused. “But I tried my best right to the end. I knew I wasn’t going to do any major damage by playing.”

There was one silver lining for Murray: by virtue of Djokovic’s defeat he holds on to the world No.1 for a couple more weeks.

While few expected Querrey to reach the semifinals, Marin Cilic was always going to be dangerous at Wimbledon. However, in the second quarterfinal of the day he was squaring off against an equally dangerous opponent: Gilles Muller (he who conquered Rafael Nadal). In a big-serving masterclass, Cilic edged the match 3-6 7-6(6) 7-5 5-7 6-1 to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal.

Men’s bottom half: Federer’s ton, Djokovic’s shoulder

It’s hard not to sound sycophantic when opining on Roger Federer’s many achievements. But the seven-time champion was in imperious form during his 100th match at The All England Club (his record stands at 89-11). In re-run of the 2016 semifinal, Federer was rarely troubled as he tore through Milos Raonic en route to a 6-4 6-2 7-6(4) win.

“I’m much better prepared for Wimbledon this year than last year,” Federer said after the match. “I’m playing very well. I’m rested. I’m fresh. I’m confident, too. Then great things do happen.”

While it was plain sailing for Federer, it was anything but for second seed Novak Djokovic. The Serb, who was the only man forced to play his Last 16 match on Tuesday after it was carried over from Monday, was forced to retire with an elbow injury while trailing Tomas Berdych 6-7(2) 0-2.

“I haven’t felt this much pain ever since I’ve had this injury. So it’s not a good sign,” Djokovic lamented after the match. “As long as it kind of comes and goes, it’s fine. But … the (last) seven months is not working that great. Obviously it’s adding up more and more. The more I play, the worse it gets.”