Online
\nLondon
\nEight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer says he \u201cdid not see defeat coming\u201d before a shock quarter-final exit against Kevin Anderson.
\nTop seed Federer, 36, had not dropped a set on his way to the last eight.
\nHe missed a match point when two sets up before eighth seed Anderson fought back to win a remarkable contest.
\n\u201cI felt great in practice, good in the warm-up. I\u2019m feeling the ball well,\u201d the Swiss said. \u201cIt just happened to be that today wasn\u2019t the day.\u201d Federer had been the favourite to win a record-extending ninth men\u2019s singles title, but was beaten in a contest that lasted more than four hours.
\nHe equalled his own record of winning 34 consecutive sets at SW19 by taking the first two against Anderson.
\nThe defending champion had not dropped a service game at this year\u2019s championships either – part of a run spanning 85 games – until Anderson broke him in the second set.
\nAnderson\u2019s comeback victory is only the second time Federer has lost at Wimbledon after leading by two sets, following a quarter-final defeat by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing losing the next two sets after winning the first two and having match points,\u201d said Federer.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been there before. I know what kind of energy I need to bring to the fifth. I was able to bring that.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t feel mental fatigue. Now I feel horribly fatigued and just awful. It\u2019s just terrible.\u201d
\nFederer suffered his earliest exit at Wimbledon since a shock second-round defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky in 2013.
\nThe 20-time Grand Slam champion, who turns 37 next month, says he plans to return to SW19 next year.
\n\u201cThe losses hurt more, you don\u2019t want to be on the loser\u2019s side,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIt motivates me to do extremely well here because I don\u2019t want to sit here and explain my loss. That\u2019s the worst feeling you can have as a tennis player.\u201d
\nS Africa hails Anderson\u2019s shock defeat of Federer
\nPresident Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday led South Africa in congratulating Kevin Anderson after he sensationally knocked Roger Federer out of Wimbledon to become the first South African to reach the semi-finals in 35 years.
\nThe 32-year old Anderson defeated defending champion Federer in a five-set thriller that lasted slightly more than four hours. \u201cCongratulations to Kevin Anderson for reaching the men\u2019s singles semi-finals,\u201d Ramaphosa tweeted on Thursday.
\nAnderson became the first South African in the Wimbledon semi-finals since Kevin Curren in 1983 and just the sixth in history. \u201cWe have always considered him an ambassador and he continues to wave the flag.
\nWe are very excited,\u201d Mickey Modisane, the sports ministry spokesman, told media. \u201cFrom a social cohesion and nation-building perspective, it\u2019s a great achievement for South Africa.\u201d \u201cOver 3 hours these two men gave their all to stay alive.
\nFight, determination, hunger… you name it they showed it all,\u201d tweeted South African cricketer Morne Morkel, who was in the crowd of spectators at Wimbledon. Eighth seed Anderson will play American ninth seed John Isner on Friday for a place in Sunday\u2019s final. DNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online London Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer says he \u201cdid not see defeat coming\u201d before a shock quarter-final exit against Kevin Anderson. Top seed Federer, 36, had not dropped a set on his way to the last eight. He missed a match point when two sets up before eighth seed Anderson fought back to win […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n