Milos Raonic eliminated at the Australian Open

7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3!-it actually lasted just over three hours, and the two major inflection points were injury timeouts.

Nadal and Dimitrov played each other to a standstill in Friday’s epic, with two tie-breakers going either way in a semi-final that ran well past midnight. I am very happy to be part of it, the crowd was incredible. After almost five hours, Nadal survived the best of a renewed Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 5-7 (4), 6-4, to reach his fourth final down under.

The ninth-seeded Nadal, who had fallen short of the semifinal stage since winning the 2014 French Open, followed with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over third-seeded Milos Raonic. “I thought I would maybe win a few rounds”, he said.

In the other quarters, No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov closed with an ace to hold off No. 117 wildcard entry Denis Istomin 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-1. But World No 15 Dimitrov fought back to take the second set 7-5. Throughout his own respectable career, Stan Wawrinka was like his younger brother, cast under a very overbearing and dark shadow, as Federer racked up majors, fame and fortune.

His form and fitness, in fact, continue to defy logic given Federer arrived in Melbourne without a single tour match to his name in six months, having taken the second half of previous year off to overcome niggling knee and back injuries.

“But the real thing is I felt good from inside, and I felt that I was putting some pressure on him”. So there is at least a chance for Federer vs. Nadal after Williams vs. Williams, and I mean, what year is this anyway? Nadal hasn’t contested a major semi-final since he won the last of his 14 Grand Slam titles at the 2014 French Open, but he never looked like losing to Raonic, the Canadian world number three.

For years, Roger Federer has been the most prolific tennis player from Switzerland. I never say never because I worked very hard to be where I am.

But the question still remains: After missing six months of competition in 2016, is Federer match-tough enough to hang with an opponent who has the massive ball-striking capability of Wawrinka from the baseline on both wings over the course of five sets?

Raonic didn’t have the same pop on his serve, although some of that has to do with Nadal being one of the game’s best returners.

After saving a break point in the fifth game, he dropped serve in the seventh and lost the opening set. I hope for him, too. Meeting first-time semifinalist Johanna Konta, 35-year-old Serena Williams went about business as usual, winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.

“After having a tough injury for so many months, to have Roger back here in the semi finals is great”, Nadal said. I think all of them are top players. “I can not lie. [It’s] exciting for me and for both of us that we’re still there and we’re still fighting for important events”.

Federer also stands on the brink of becoming only the third man in history to win five Australian Open titles, following Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson, who both have six.