Fearless youth takes on experienced class
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic face young and restless Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov for places in the Wimbledon final on Friday as men's tennis reaches a potentially game-changing moment in its history.
In the space of 24 hours at the All England Club, the big four of the game were reduced to the big two following the shock exits of Rafael Nadal and defending champion Andy Murray.
Suddenly, Dimitrov and Raonic have the opportunity to tip the balance in favour of the next generation by breaking down the door which has been frustratingly ajar for a decade.
But the odds are stacked against them.
Federer -- who beat compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka over four sets in Wednesday's quarterfinal -- is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, the holder of a record 17 majors and will be playing in his 35th Grand Slam semi-final and ninth at the All England Club.
Djokovic's 2011 Wimbledon title was just one of his six majors and he will be playing in his 23rd last-four at a Grand Slam and fifth in a row in London.
Dimitrov and Raonic, both 23, score nought on all of the above.
Federer has a 4-0 career lead over Raonic, the first Canadian man in the semi-finals in 106 years.
Federer will be the sentimental favourite on Friday against eighth-seeded Raonic whose quarter-final win over Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios, the shock conqueror of Nadal, was brutally effective but far from pretty -- 39 aces, 73 winners and just 20 points conceded off serve.
Raonic insists his poor record against Federer will not be a factor when he becomes the first Canadian man since Robert Powell at 1908 to play in a Wimbledon semifinal.
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