Roger Federer knocked out by Hubert Hurkacz in quarter-finals
The Swiss lost 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to the 14th seeded Pole, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final.
It is the first time 20-time major champion Federer has lost a set to love at the All England Club.
Hurkacz will play seventh seed Matteo Berrettini for a place in Sunday’s final.
The Italian defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-3 to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.
“It’s super special for me,” said Hurkacz, only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at a Grand Slam.
“Playing here and the special things [Federer] has done here, it’s a dream come true.”
Hurkacz, who was six when Federer won his first title at SW19, is the first player to win a set to love against the Swiss since Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open final.
Federer, at 39 years and 337 days, had been bidding to become the oldest man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in the Open era.
But defeat marked his first straight-set loss at Wimbledon in 19 years and left pundits and fans wondering whether this could turn out to be his final appearance at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Federer himself said he “does not know” if he will play at Wimbledon again.
Off-colour Federer falls short in bid to match record
Federer had two knee surgeries in 2020 and this was only his fifth event in 17 months, but had made no secret of the fact Wimbledon was his target this year as he looks to equal Martina Navratilova’s record of nine singles titles here.
With Novak Djokovic – into the semi-finals after defeating Marton Fucsovics – breathing down his and Rafael Nadal’s necks in the race for the most Grand Slams, this could have been his last chance to pull clear of his old foes on his best surface.
There had been concerns over his form coming into the tournament after a last-16 defeat by Auger-Aliassime at the Halle Open last month left him despondent, and he avoided an upset in the opening …