Wimbledon: Milos Raonic fights back to take down Roger Federer

Milos Raonic has reached his first Grand Slam final after the world number seven stunned Roger Federer with a dramatic five-set win at Wimbledon.

Federer looked on course for victory when leading two sets to one but the Swiss was halted first by a thigh problem and then his gutsy opponent, as Raonic sealed a 6-3 6-7 (3/7) 4-6 7-5 6-3 triumph.

Raonic will be the first Canadian man in history to play in the final of a major tournament, where he will face either Britain's Andy Murray or Tomas Berdych on Sunday.

“It’s an incredible comeback for me,” Raonic told the BBC afterwards.

“I was struggling through the third and fourth set, he was playing some really good tennis. I managed to turn it around and played a really good match.

“It’s a great feeling to be giving myself a chance to play in my first final.”

Federer squandered three break points in the fourth set and fatigue may have caught up with the 34-year-old, who twice called the trainer to look at his thigh and had not played consecutive five-setters since 2013.

He lost the second of those to Murray, who was up second on Centre Court and aiming to set up a rematch with Raonic after beating the 25-year-old in the final at Queen’s three weeks ago.

“We played in the final a few weeks ago and I said I wanted a re-match with him here,” Raonic said. “I’m by no means done here with what I want to do.”

This was Raonic’s first ever Grand Slam victory against a top three opponent and with John McEnroe added to his team – the American was commentating rather than courtside – he is a daunting prospect in the final.

McEnroe said at the end: “Amazing. This wasn’t just his serve. We know the guy has a huge serve but he showed a lot of heart, a lot of fight, he found another gear which I don’t even know he knew he had.”

For Federer, with Novak Djokovic out, this was his greatest chance of winning an 18th major title since 2012 and while the veteran showed form to suggest he is still capable of adding another to his collection, doubts about his stamina and endurance remain.

Murray’s lucky charm Alex Ferguson was watching on in the player’s box as was Bjorn Borg, the sort of “tennis legend” Federer admitted this week can still make him nervous.

Perhaps he was suffering from the jitters early on because after avoiding a single double fault in five sets against Marin Cilic, Federer served one in the fourth game to gift Raonic the break.

It was all the Canadian needed to take the first set, as he rifled down rockets at 143 miles per hour, only five mph short of Taylor Dent’s Wimbledon record set in 2010.

Federer was certainly stronger in the rallies and often wrong-footed his occasionally flat-footed opponent but Raonic’s power was potent, his first serve landing 20 per cent more often by the middle of the second set.

The Swiss belted out “come on” as he held for 5-4 and then a Raonic double fault opened up three of four set points, at 0-40 and advantage, but he failed to convert.

His chance came again in the tie-break, however, as another Raonic double fault at 3-3 this time proved decisive, McEnroe admitting his player had “blinked” and Federer serving out for one set apiece.

A champagne cork could be heard bouncing off the roof and as the crowd relaxed, so did Federer, another Raonic double fault in game seven punished by a whipping Swiss forehand, which clinched the all-important break.

Federer sealed the set with an ace and carried his momentum into the fourth, piling pressure on Raonic’s serve at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4, but failing to convert any of three break points.

Raonic weathered the storm and then, leading 6-5, snatched the set as Federer opted to hit a short forehand back to his opponent, who slapped a backhand pass down the line.

Federer called the trainer for treatment at the start of the set and then again in the fourth game when a Raonic pass left the veteran splatted on the grass, having desperately thrown his racket towards the ball.

Raonic was believing again and when his forehand pass finished a heart-thumping point to break for 3-1, it seemed victory was firmly in his grasp.

Two chances for the double break came and went at 4-1 but Federer’s resistance was short-lived as Raonic served out to complete victory in three hours and 25 minutes.