Federer shines bright in twilight zone

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 semi-finals for the 12th time on Wednesday with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Milos Raonic. It was his 100th match at the All England Club and the 50th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career. At 35, Federer is the second oldest man to reach the semi-finals 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 on Sunday and break the tie for seven he has shared with Pete Sampras since 2012. It would also take him to 19 career majors and make him the oldest champion at Wimbledon in the Open era.

"The plan was always to hopefully be strong later on in my career," said Federer who will face Tomas Berdych in Friday's semi-finals. "I don't see myself playing better than a few years ago. I always hope to improve every year "I'm just very happy that I'm still doing so well. Am I surprised? Maybe a little bit." The contrast between Federer and Murray and Djokovic on Wednesday was impossible to ignore.