Day 11 Wimbledon

Hello and welcome to day 11 of Wimbledon! As you can see, the sun

is shining and the skies are blue. It promises to be another terrific

day of tennis. We know tomorrow's ladies' final will be against Petra

Kvitova. She is up against the new Canadian sensation, Eugenie

Bouchard. But today, it is the turn of the men. Before that remain will

go head-to-head on Centre Court. Sit back, relax and enjoy what promises

to be another memorable day. The Wimbledon men's's semifinals. A

big day. There is so much at stake. So what do we have? On one side of

the net, two guys who have been there, seen it and done it. Federer,

seven Wimbledon titles. 17 Grand Slam titles. 35 Grand Slam

semifinals. Djokovic, champion here in 2011. Six

Grand Slam titles. 23 Grand Slam semifinals. On the other side of the

net, two guys who have never been there. Dimitrov, the King of Queens.

The slayer of Murray. His first Grand Slam semifinal. Raonic. Man

mountain. Aces high. His first Grand Slam semifinal. They have the

firepower but not the experience. Djokovic versus Dimitrov. Federer

versus Raonic. Old versus new. Let the battle commence.

He likes to height things up but then he is right, today is a special

day in tennis. It is the Wimbledon men's semifinal day. Big crowds on

the Hill having a picnic and enjoying the tennis on the screen. A

very strong breeze. That will certainly affect play on Centre

Court today. So much to enjoy although the players unfolding on

the two main show courts. There is still much for people to enjoy,

maybe enjoy a photograph around the Wimbledon landmarks, maybe get an

autograph but just enjoy this special Wimbledon experience. It is

men's semifinals day. The first one is underway already. Novak Djokovic

is through to his 23rd Grand Slam semifinal. Grigor Dimitrov is on a

ten match winning streak on grass. We will head to that match in a

moment. Later on today, the great Roger Federer, his ninth Wimbledon

semifinal. He is looking for a record eighth title here. Milos

Raonic is looking for his own record title, to be the first non-European

into the final since Andy Roddick. Here are Novak Djokovic and Grigor

Dimitrov walking onto court. Only four years separate them but a vast

difference in experience. Djokovic knows all about it. It is the first

semifinal of the major for Dimitrov. Milos Raonic was out practising

earlier today. Milos Raonic was out practising

earlier The serve we will be watching. 147 aces already in this

tournament. There is more to his game and Federer knows all about

that. Two great matches to enjoy and we will be heading to Centre Court

in just a moment. We will be over on BBC Two shortly showing you this

semifinal on Court Number One, between the Bryan brothers up

against Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut. We will be joining that

shortly on BBC Two. But here, we are heading to Centre Court where we can

join our commentators John Lloyd, John McEnroe and Andrew Castle.

Grigor Dimitrov has not settled into this match so far. The top seed

Novak Djokovic has a break point. It is windy, it is sunny. Dimitrov

is not being given a chance to express himself here, is he? To me,

he seems to be trying to force the issue little bit too much. I think

there are times when the shot selection is not right. He is going

for shots where the percentages are not in his favour, against Djokovic

who is not missing. You have to hit the spot at the right time. Is that

nerves? Some of it is nervous but we have to give credit to the number

one seed. He is so sharp right now, so intense and he is so prepared for

this. He is hitting the ball incredibly well. He controlled

things, he senses, as a lot of other people do, but clearly, he senses it

better than anyone how wound up Dimitrov, he cannot relax yet.

Dimitrov is serving 61% but he feels like he is not serving that well so

that is getting to him. He is 23 years of age. We are seeing a

changing of the guard, the big four, Nick Kyrgios beating Nadal. We will

see. He has got to deal with it or he

will be off the court in 45 minutes. There are too many of those type of

shots at the moment. That is something a little bit

special. Rather like when Tiger Woods pulls out a backswing.

Look at that drop shot from a couple of points ago, there is the

turnaround we have been waiting for. Both guys having to deal with

tricky, tough, windy conditions. That is where the slice will come in

handy. The first time he has been bothered

by the elements. Two misses in a row. The first break point of the

match for Grigor Dimitrov. The are responding.

He has gone over. Trying to push over to the backhand side. There are

significant worn out patches behind the baselines. I was on the

practices the lid to the other day and it is a complete dust bowl.

A break point. Paul Grigor Dimitrov, but at least he got to a break

point. Often described as having the best

returns in the game. That was well played. Even there, he

is able to block returns. He is overheating. He is

overheating. He's trying too hard. You can see how the rallies are

developing. Djokovic looks like he is in command of them. Dimitrov

looks as if he is trying to hit it extra hard to try and do something.

That is harder to do in these conditions. That is why he

desperately needs some aces. Dimitrov is playing against today in

Novak Djokovic. He had one of the greatest years anyone had ever seen

in 2011. Ten tournament victories, three of the four Grand Slams, five

ATP Masters. Roger Federer beat him on a bleak grey Friday evening in

the semifinal of the French Open. He had won the Davis Cup for his

country. Plus, he has been a rock. He was the man who responded first

to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal changing standards. Then Andy Murray

joined the party. Those were the big four. Dimitrov is trying to break

in. By winning at Queens and beating Andy Murray, he has announced

something but we do not quite know what it is yet. Commercially, he is

hugely interesting. But how do you not Novak Djokovic of this perch

now? I love what he does on the court, how well-prepared he is and

how willing he is to try different things. Hiring Boris Becker is a bit

of ace prize. Off the court he is trying to do things which get the

sport more popular. He is a class act.

That slice is going to really come in handy. You do not quite know what

it is going to do if you are this guy. It is a shot which will pay off

for Dimitrov. John-macro and John Lloyd have been

talking about the need for Dimitrov to do this.

Oh, yes! Game on. Had to grind that point. He could have pulled the

trigger on the forehand, but he didn't. He used the slice and

allowed the mistake to come and it did. That is a very important

moment. Novak is attempting to keep his cool

in these hot conditions but he is exceptionally upset with himself

that he let that game slip away. He cannot believe he is level with this

guy in the second set. Both these players have had to go

the distance in the Championships so far. Dimitrov had a tough one

against Dolgopolov, who is another one of these youngsters we must keep

an eye on, and explosive talent from the Ukraine. And then, of course, he

beat Andy Murray, the defending champion and really nullified the

crowd on court for that one. Cilic really pushed Djokovic the distance

in the previous round on a slippery Court One. The test against -- the

match against Stepanek was a tester. Let's face it, we would love to see

a long match here. No question about it. This guy, what you admire about

him is you see him fighting, really digging in. Things were desperate

there. That could have slipped away in a hurry. He has figured it out on

his own, which is what we love, part of the thing we love about our

sport. You do not have anyone to tell you right now. This is the

first time for Novak since he walked out onto the court that he is under

pressure. He is feeling stressed. Just over an hour played.

Here's a handful, he can do a lot of different things. That was the

perfect way to end that point. This definitely had to be played,

this ball. 15-30. That is called out. Everyone has

macro hams are flying into the sky. They are challenging everyone --

everyone's hands. Dimitrov is serving for the set, it could be a

set all in a couple of minutes. What a game. Djokovic is shaking his

head. He is looking up, he is saying he cannot see anything, it has all

gone wrong. He cannot believe that he has let Dimitrov off the hook

here. That is ancient history now. Time to regroup for the number one

seed. Cannot believe how fast this is. He

runs faster sideways than most people run forwards. He skipped

across to get his forehand into play. That is the weapon. He and

Rafa Nadal move on to the backhand side better than anyone. Two points

for the set. APPLAUSE. . -- applause -- APPLAUSE.

The set is over if this has caught any of the line. It did appear to go

long. It is certainly why the players appreciate the challenge

system. Find an! It is one set all. -- Hynde on. It is the best of three

sets powers-macro crying up on. -- if is the best of three sets. --

Hang on!. SUE BARKER: We will be back with this match shortly. We

will be heading to watch Jamie Murray and Casey Dellacqua start

their match. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will continue their match on

the red button. At the moment, all eyes are on Centre Court. Centre

Court is buzzing now. Grigor Dimitrov has this personality as

well as a game which seems to fit the big stage. He does have plans

that he can adjust and that is what he did basically in that set to turn

it around. Djokovic had chances, he looked comfortable and did not break

for the double break. Either one of the battles will be interesting now.

We will see if Djokovic will go for his first serve more. Towards the

end of the second set, he was getting no cheap points and his

service is down on average. It may be because of the wind. He will need

to get a few cheap points on his serve. That is one of the

interesting things which may change. He was so upset with himself for

dropping that break that break but I think Hezbollah city went down. He

needs to move forward -- velocity. -- I think his velocity went down.

APPLAUSE. That is what the doctor ordered.

It is extremely difficult in these conditions, to be able to play your

top game on the way through, it it is almost inevitable, no matter how

good you are, your level will drop at one stage. The key is how quickly

you can get it back. It is that area behind the baseline, it is very

slippery. That is one of the reasons why this

ridiculous suggestion that some people say there should be play on a

middle Sunday do not realise that the grass courts have to be rested.

Nice try! Nice try! It is our Djokovic type of rally

stop he had a couple of chances to move in, but chose not to stop -- it

is a Djokovic type of rally. You see that ball moving closer to

the net. That wind is against Novak Djokovic as well, it is swirly at

times, at other times it feels like the guy is playing uphill.

That is a good move. Hard to Molly. -- hard to volley. Some satisfaction

for both players in these opening games as they readjust, the

complexion of this match changed often are go, Djokovic certainly in

the driving seat to go 2-0 sets up. He has to cope with that

disappointment. That is a good move, coming in off that slice. That

ball looked to be just wide. Not happy, it was mishit slightly. It

made it even tougher to deal with. He will not have any answer to that

slice backhand from Dimitrov. Good move. First serve and volley of the

match. It did not take hour and 20 minutes for you to serve a volley,

did it? It would take me one minute 20.

What a great player! He should have made that forehand volley, though.

So hard to play against that gymnast at the other end. Look at this

forehand, any squash player in the world would be proud! To hang in

there and make Novak Djokovic had a couple of tough volleys, if he had

taken that extra step, it would have been easier -- hit.

Everything is OK, I think. I do not think Novak Djokovic realise that

had happened. I think the other player realised it! -- realised.

That is beautiful, beautiful! It is like tennis on ice. Three slips in a

row, three shots, to move forward that quickly was admirable. I am not

sure if that was a second or third slip in a road there. He has done

some good work on his flexibility -- in a Rome. -- row.

It appears that Grigor Dimitrov has relaxed and is just playing the

match forgetting he has never been in a semifinal before. He is

producing his best tennis on his first service game. Djokovic served

the AA 's down the middle, this is good matchplay. -- ace. Both players

are playing at their best. I never thought I would witness this

are playing at their best. I never thought I would witness type of

tennis, instead of the big serving, to see the way these guys hit the

ball, it is great, unbelievable. It is unbelievably great, the sliding

that is going on. Getting themselves out of trouble, the next minute,

another guy sprints forward. Raonic will be another different

proposition. He will be more old school, like watching Pete Sampras

versus Goran Ivanisevic. He can slice through anything. That is what

I think. Including a break wall. He can serve at 100 and to miles per

hour, apparently. -- a break wall. -- Naomi Broady is per hour. --

break wall. -- 130 mph. He is tempted to hit the drop shot,

but chose to play a safer ball, but it was not deep enough.

It is another well played 30-30 point. It would have been easy to

miss that volley. 23 years of age, six weeks ago he

had that birthday. His father is a tennis coach. He got his first

tennis racquet at the age of three and he liked it.

He looked comfortable around Andy Murray in the previous round and you

can see that he feels he is playing within himself. He can hold his own

in these rallies and win a lot of them, he believes.

Good work there are, after the slip. -- bearer. They are either too dusty

or two green. -- there. -- two green. -- too.

Both guys have had their thinking caps on, Novak Djokovic is starting

to move forward and that is the right thing to do. He wants fresh

trainers. It is amazing they go through them this quickly! They

wearer down quickly. -- the wearer down. -- they wear down.

How careful was that? As soon as you miss, you look back like you thought

it was going out, even though you know it is not. He got very casual.

That is very nicely done, drops the backhand volley, no repeat of the

mistake. You're talking about the issues, it has been an issue.

Yesterday, Jack Sark and -- was playing and one of the players got

fed up and stop it is one of the issues you have to play with.

-- Jack Sock. They are faced with the dilemma, the points where they

change the composition of the brass, that has allowed players to make the

transition from a clay court more easily -- grabs. -- grass. Andy

Murray rotated six pairs last year. They dig up in the court quickly.

One of the worst offenders is Tomas Berdych who drags his third when he

serves. -- who drags his foot when he serves.

The man there, his brother is the Mayor of Chicago.

That has got to be extremely disappointing for Novak Djokovic,

that was a makeable shot. That is usually his bread and butter, the

two-handed backhand. The stress of the situation, the

quality of the play from his opponent and the conditions have

contributed to this malaise right now. He is stuck in the mud a

little. Perhaps he wishes it was a little muddy, it is so slippery out

here. They should water the court a bit. Between sets. In this

condition, it would dry in a minute. That is interesting. We would be

able to play on Sunday! Someone would slip over and it would be all

your fault. You could do what they do in cricket and mix-up old turf

and put it in there with some clippings and level it off. It would

not last long with the way they drag their feet and slide.

The speed was there, he was there in plenty of time. He should have gone

after that ball. He will certainly wish he had that shot back.

from Djokovic. That is a very strange decision to throw a kick

serving at 92 mph and it in. Maybe a few mental battles at the

moment for Novak. He is down break point here. The

purity of the ball strike. So pleasing for those supporting

Dimitrov. He meant to do it, honest! Look at

this. I think he meant to do it. Maybe not quite as close to the line

but he meant to hit it short. Good for him.

It is a break point saved. Djokovic gets away with that game. That

little pushy backhand down the line. The fact is, he hit over the net and

in. That is what really matters at the end of the day. I hit a ball in

the last doubles match I ever played, 17 all in the fifth set,

break point, get a forehand, try that crosscourt angle I like to try

to hit. We look at the seven times finalist Boris Becker. A total and

utter mishit, a top-spin lob over the guy's head. I would never admit

that, oh no, I just admitted it! Out on the hill they are happy. It is

hot. Go and get some water. Who is the head groundsman? Neil Studley.

What would he think? Are used to go to Forest Hill to see my idol Rod

labour. At 4-2 in the fifth set, and I believe the 1972 US Open, he

switched to spikes. Spikes were legal. I believe it was 72. There he

is. He lost the last four games with the spikes. Suddenly he could stand

up! I wonder what the court would think if they were playing in

spikes. Fantastic! Fast and to control that

shot. I thought Dimitrov had this. A lot of backspin on that. Can't do it

any better than that. Extremely frustrating, building a

15-30 lead, then missing an easy ball. With all the sporting talent

behind him in the Royal box, you do not want to drop this one. You do

not want to hit yourself on the head either.

That lady needs to change lines. Put a helmet on.

He should have sprinted to take that higher up or let it drop. A strange

decision. There were a couple of errors from

Djokovic that he would not expect him to make.

Looked like that serve could have been long. No challenge. We should

make people aware that these conditions are tough.

There are patchy spots. Mentally you have to be so focused and

concentrate. SUE BARKER: We will be right back to

show you the third set but we can show you what is happening

elsewhere. This match on Court 12 is on BBC Two. Britain's Jamie Murray

and Australia's Casey Dellacqua have lost the first set. It is one game

all in the second set. That match is on BBC Two. And this match is on the

red button, the Bryan brothers, the top seeds. They are two points away

from a place in the finals. That is on the red button on Court Number

One. Back we go to Centre Court. Whatever happens, it has been a good

year for Novak Djokovic. Not just on the tennis court. His fiancee is

expecting. Great times ahead. Jude Law is on the right hand side. There

is their grills' wife on the left. -- she first met husband when he

came out of the water in Scotland start make it! And it is usually

pretty cold water up there! Varies Bear Grylls on the left-hand side.

He is such a great move. It is frustrating how many times he has

slipped during this match. Just enough time to put you in some big

trouble when you are playing against a guy who is as hungry as Dimitrov

is. It is the sort of thing we are

expecting to see from goalkeepers later on. A super move over to his

right on Have we seen two players slipped

this match at the latter stages of Wimbledon? I have seen it at the

beginning. I do not remember it. This could be the first time where

the players have to serve and volley. It is so slippery at the

baseline that maybe they will think it will be better if I move forward.

Keep away from the baseline. It is difficult. The conditions are

impossible for the ground crew to do anything about. It is hot, windy and

dry, not something we are used to. It does not happen here too often!

The players are bigger, heavier, stronger and they are staying back.

They about sink into the backhand corner. Over the course of two

weeks, these courses take a pummelling. I think it is affecting

the match a little bit too much. On Court Two yesterday there were real

problems. I guess it is a chat for a different times but when it comes to

slipping and sliding, these two guys are able to control what they are

doing. If somebody like Brown which goes down, there will be a big dent

in the court. -- Raonic. There is somebody being taken out

from the side of the court. It happened yesterday in the tie-break.

Get some water and some shade. Clearly it is worth a challenge

there. Two points in the set. You do not know whether it is the chalk

that flew up or the dust behind it. Apparently, both.

Here we go. A tie-break to decide the third set. What an important few

minutes this will be. It is impossible for it not to get

in your head. His serve continues to be pretty

awesome today. 15 aces already. He is going to have to find some

inspiration and fast, if he is going to climb back into this tie-breaker.

That is not thinking clearly at all. Shot selection at that time in a

tie-breaker? It is a perfect break for Djokovic.

He is one set away from a Wimbledon final.

SUE BARKER: So, a comfortable tie-break for Novak Djokovic. He

leads on Centre Court. We will be right back there. It is an all

European semifinal on Centre Court and also in the World Cup which is

coming up this afternoon on BBC One. Then the tennis will move over to

BBC Two. Just before we head back to Centre

Court, on Court 12, Jamie Murray and Casey Dellacqua are now one game

away. They will be serving for the second set to level the match in the

Mixed Doubles quarterfinal. That is currently over on BBC Two. On the

red button, just about to get underway on Court Number One, it is

Neil Skupski and Naomi Broady on court. Here on BBC One, we are

heading back to Centre Court. Just the single break point on the

tie-break. Grigor Dimitrov had an opportunity but was unable to take

it. It is a bit surprisingly in the amount of winners. The unforced

errors, but it came down to the tie-break. The double fault and then

the drop shot, what was he thinking on that one? Two bad points back to

back. You cannot afford to do that against Djokovic. If Djokovic goes

through and wins the title, he will be welcomed but one again. He first

achieved that after winning here in 2011. He will go to the top of the

rankings. If Dimitrov loses here, he will go to number nine in the world,

if he loses in the final he will be at number seven in the world. And he

will be another five if he actually wins. Whatever happens, he will be

above Andy Murray in the world rankings. Whatever happens with

Novak Djokovic, you have to respect that he has been through a lot of

wars out there. Some extremely difficult matches. I thought they

would take more of a toll on him. The amount of effort and exertion

that he has had to put into winning some of these matches in the last

couple of years, I think that is partly why he hired Boris Becker to

finish off guys like this, not put in an extra hour. Maybe he had that

set and a break, he should have won that. Now he is in a real battle.

This is where he hopes he can get through this guy now. Try and take

advantage of his frailty in the tie-break where he seemed to lose

it. He started to make some really bad decisions. You see it too often

and you would like to see it not keep happening, but if it were is

within the rules, it is probably a good idea that he took a couple of

minutes -- if it were within the rules.

He has become so mentally tough, Novak Djokovic.

Both of these players are talisman for their own countries, Novak Jock

Mitch in Serbia -- Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov in Bulgaria.

He has certainly been tough with his serve, Dimitrov, and this is where

it will pay off. He has to win both of these sets, the fourth and fifth

to get to his first ever final. He needed that one after the first

two points were a bit sloppy. That is the risk you take, when you

run around that backhand return, you need to hit a return. The coach for

a Dimitrov was nodding his approval, even though it was a

mistake, it was the right thing to do, the coach for Dimitrov.

I do not know if he should have hit it up the line, ripped it across the

court. Novak Djokovic looks like he could sneak out of this game.

The 27-year-old from Belgrade, living in Monte Carlo, dedicated to

his task, just like the other three that make up the big four in tennis.

Just number two in the world by a tiny margin, but because of his form

on grass courts, he is the top seed at the Championships this year.

Find the best return server ever, but throw in two straight doubles,

he will be lucky to get out of this game.

You are joking! I cannot believe this. This happened when he was

serving against Novak Djokovic in Miami. An early-season match last

year, and he suddenly lost his service rhythm. It has happened

again, it goes off a little bit. This is more than a little bit right

now! Three straight doubles! What does he do now? Throw it over!

Please do not do that! This could be a first.

That is a terrible game. Our body blow! It was self-inflicted.

Dimitrov, three double faults. -- a body blow. That is peculiar. If

Novak Djokovic goes on to win this match, it is not over yet, but his

coach will look back and say that in the first set, he played that awful

game and gave it to Novak Djokovic and he has given another breakaway

and you do get dips in matches, but not that badly. Let me draw your

attention to this, talk about staying in the game, Djokovic

rallied and we have talked about Dimitrov getting himself into the

match, Djokovic has moved up inside the court to dictate 37% inside the

baseline. That is significant. He is a master strategist. You have got to

give him credit. He sensed and knew he had to do something different. He

had to deal with the slice and take the action away from Dimitrov and he

started taking it to him, not only coming in on a big approach, but

serving in volleys. It was brilliant, very smart to do that. If

you are there, your opponent cannot be there. That is why it is still a

one-on-one sport. The chemistry is still captivating. You cannot go out

and just play your game. That is why they often bring coaches onto the

court. But they have to figure it out for themselves.

Clearly Dimitrov knows he has to do something different. He is getting a

little desperate looking, trying shots that are too difficult.

He managed to battle back, when he looked down and out in the second,

he will have to rise to the occasion again and soon.

It is pretty tough to bounce back from a game when you have served

three doubles in a row. That was crashing to the spirit. He has

probably never done it, well he said he did do it in a Grand Slam, but

that was amazing. Once you see your fifth set, then it

appears. This is incredible, that would show

me something! If he could bounce right back and make it. That is a

loose game from Novak Djokovic, here. That is why the pained

expression is returning to the face of Boris Becker.

You thought it was going to be easy. It was so -- it is not so fast to

get to your first Wimbledon final. APPLAUSE. Well, that was a solid

debut on the backhand from Djokovic, he knifed it through the court.

APPLAUSE. That is it to! Way to go! Who would have thought it? -- that

is it. He surely cannot serve as badly in the next game as he did on

his last. Two Maria 's. -- Marias. Perfect!

Outstanding. APPLAUSE. Dimitrov all out of ideas

at the moment on his own serve. Did he hit that with two hands? Talk

about playing G! Wait until you see his left-handed forehand!

He should not miss that. It was set up beautifully. A big serve, where

he wants that forehand to be. Loose point.

APPLAUSE. What a hold! And a break before it!

I do not know whether we are seeing a change in a guard, that has been

much of the debate stop we have got Raonic and Dimitrov, who have never

been beyond the second round of this Championship, suddenly they are

looking a real threat. Dimitrov beat the defending champion. Is that a

changing of the guard? That remains to be seen. What you are seeing is

an much improved version, mentally, of Dimitrov. We have seen the

flashiness, we have seen what he is capable of, but to come back from

what he did, three doubles in a row, Movement here in Centre Court as

people try and get out of the sun, it is a hot day. Djokovic serving.

These are matches that will give you ulcers!

Boris Becker wants to watch the France versus Germany game, but he

will have to get this match out of the way first!

He is trying to laugh it off, but the blood is boiling again, he has

let this guy off the hook again. He got up more quickly so he could

put more on it. Before when he hit the first point, he did not.

APPLAUSE. He screamed into his shirt, so frustrated that he let

that all fly along. -- ball. BS and flows in this match are

unreal. He slept, but Dimitrov set up that night volley -- slipped. --

ebbs and flows. A chance to take the break here. What a forehand! That

was so low! I do not know what he is shaking his head about. Unbelievable

forehand. That backhand slice was down by his ankles, how do you flip

that up! You tell me, you said this guy would give up! We should have

known, he will not give up! Second double faults. -- fault.

Break point against full is -- again.

He is edgy, but you cannot blame him.

Magnificent match play, all the senses sharpened at the business end

of the tournament. Another one of those big kicks. Top

spin. He almost pulled his shoulder out trying to get that. A pretty

intense semifinal. Very much so! They are awkward, difficult

conditions. Both guys battling so hard to find a way into this

Wimbledon final. She knows a thing or two about battling! Competing.

It is incredible how often you hit a server against Novak Djokovic and

you look down at your feet. That is where you have to hit the next shot

from -- serve. the area where it is so dusty. He

likes to hit off a strong base. That base is not necessarily there. It is

hard to see the ball out there because of the dust!

Don't these guys have enough to deal with already! What was the year

where you beat Jimmy Connors? That was 30 years ago. Do you remember

the court that day? Know, why, was it like this? They are under such a

lot of strain in here. There are 15,000 people in here. It is quite

enclosed, hot. I just wonder how much of this will be a focus after

the match in the press conferences or whether they will not say too

much about it. It is definitely an issue. One of the supervisors was

called out on to Court Two yesterday. They were struggling to

stand up even on the green bits. John McEnroe's suggestion is that

they water the grass courts. We thank you for your contribution,

John. It does not seem like a bad idea! With the pimples, you could

sweep a bit of water out there. They do it at the French Open between

sets. If you put too much on there could be trouble. These guys are

pro-ess-macro, they will do just the right amount. At any rate, they will

not do it this year. -- they are pros. There are Raonic and Federer

saying, when are we going to play? A fantastic service game that is.

Now we are getting crunch time in this set. Frustrated at the end of

that last game. He won the game in just over a minute. That is why he

has become one of the all-time best players. He is able to shrug that.

He must feel that he should already be in the locker room.

He just overcooked that one. He is coming to the net more in the last

couple of sets. Trying to take the play away from this young man from

Bulgarian. His serve is so big now. Another quick game. Dimitrov has

proven himself and all court player. He won in Acapulco on the hard

court, Bucharest on clay, Queens Court champion, of course, on grass.

He is the only three surface winner. The first event he won Woodstock

home cold indoors last November. -- was stop cold indoors.

That is in. Slapped it, a clean winner. He thought it was long. That

was a very unpleasant surprise. He could have gotten over there.

So good at keeping his composure. So solid, the server has been.

Look at Dean moves, look at the physicality that Dimitrov brings to

this court. -- look at the moves. I am not sure that Djokovic can

believe some of the standard of this play. He cannot believe he is a set

away, a point away from being level. Djokovic applauding Dimitrov's good

play. In the meantime, Djokovic... One,

two. Shouldn't be laughing! It is tough out there.

Fantastic front Novak Djokovic. Lesser sportsmen would have

capitulated there. -- fantastic from Novak Djokovic. He will tire himself

out if he keeps shouting like that. Dimitrov needed it to reach out and

stabbed that volley. Great recovery from the

disappointment in the previous game. I have got to say, given how

difficult the conditions are, these guys are putting on a show. This is

big-time, what you are watching today. Since Dimitrov rocked up at

Queen 's club six years ago and got a wildcard and contributed so much,

we have become used to this. Look at this. This is everything we could

have hoped for. I suppose, if it goes to a fifth set, that is the

only other thing we can ask. He won the junior title here and the US

Open back in 2008. Know that Djokovic was already fully fledged

champion. It takes time to go toe to toe with the great champions. This

is his year. It shows you that players are not on the same time

schedule. It takes them different times when they mature. No doubt was

17 when he was fully mature. There is no age when you can put it down.

It is played in the right spirit as well, this match. Brief

acknowledgement, good. I do not think he expected to get

another chance there. He should have done better with that ball.

The heat has been a non-issue so far.

Here we go again. A third set tie-break.

Djokovic was faultless. What did Dimitrov do wrong? He played two bad

points back to back. That was not his best moment.

The first point against serve goes to the Bulgarian.

So good. The elastic man. Which one? Absolutely, brilliant tennis.

What a drop volley that was. Just outstanding.

You are battling your nerves, it is so close. He can taste it.

A surprising miss. He is having a hard time controlling his nerves.

Not the effort that he was expecting.

Ten years ago Sharapova knew what it takes to win at Wimbledon. She knows

what her partner is going through now.

This is just outstanding! The look on his face.

That is big-time. What a point. He did not want to miss. He was just

waiting to get Dimitrov off-balance. Then he just sprinted forward to hit

that Molly. -- that volley. That is a desperate blow. Was it

long? Oh, it is just out! Serve and volley on match point. I

cannot believe he did that. Talk about expecting the unexpected.

I think he is all right. That is a tough one. Will they call a rain?

They are going to think about it. -- will they call a rain. -- trainer.

Oh, he has got it. What a fighter. They both are.

It is Djokovic who goes through to Sunday's final. The top seed

advances. Dimitrov will look back on those three set points that he had

and he will regret it. Obviously. But he has an awful lot to be proud

of. He has battled hard. He showed a lot of character, he showed a lot of

class. And this guy, this guy is as tough mentally as you will ever see

on a tennis court. What an effort, what a classic. I didn't mean to

sound disappointed. We were looking forward to a fifth. It was almost

anti-climactic because you wanted a fifth. And then it was gone. You

thought the other guy was going to win the set. Unbelievable. Just to

show that young guy that it is not that easy. What a contribution to

this tournament that Grigor Dimitrov has made. As soon as the draw was

done, the match that so many were looking forward to was his

quarterfinal with Andy Murray. Who thought that this would be as

good as that? Is there are half hour between the matches, because there

was yesterday. Maybe to water the court? May be. I think they will be

coming out quickly. -- may be. The players need more time. We will hear

from Novak Djokovic shortly. Talk about breathing a sigh of relief!

Fascinating stuff. A three-hour match. Novak Djokovic has come

through against Grigor Dimitrov. Let us get his thoughts.

Congratulations. What was that like to be in that cauldron of heat? The

semi-finals of Wimbledon, playing against a future star, I mean, he is

already a top player, beating Andy Murray, definitely, he deserves

respect. For his first semifinal, he was fighting and it was a tough

match. The fourth set could have gone either way. I thought I started

well, a couple of great points for double break and again, like the

last match, I allowed my opponent to come back, but overall, I am glad to

reach another Wimbledon final. We saw you shaking your head at some of

the play he was able to produce. Then you showed your champion's

mentality. Yes. He has quality shots, especially the running

forehand and a great touch. He is playing equally well. When he is

aggressive and he is defending. That is part of his game, this transition

that he has improved immensely in the last eight months and you can

see by his results. It is a good win for me. I am glad to be a part of

another entertaining match and hopefully the crowd enjoyed it.

Reaching the final is the least you expect, you want titles. Yes.

Especially considering that I have lost the last couple of grand slam

finals. Now, these matches, I could have lost. It is a big match.

Whoever I play in the finals, I have to be on top of my game. It is the

biggest event we have in sport. Your third final in four years, a

tremendous achievement, congratulations again. SUE BARKER:

He has come through a real battle against Grigor Dimitrov and coming

back from 6-3 down, but he is such a great competitor and he has proved

it again. Through to his third Wimbledon final, his 14th grand slam

final, his coach will be delighted that that did not go the distance.

Novak Jock of its -- Novak Djokovic embraces him at the end and he knows

that Grigor Dimitrov will be a future champion. Novak Djokovic is

true to the final. He will be back on Sunday. The first semi final is

completed at Wimbledon and we are ready for number two -- he is

through it to the final. -- through to the final.

That is the next match here on Centre Court and I think Centre

Court is stunned. Everyone is out to get refreshments, that match was so

thrilling. That match had everything! Great drama, it is

worthy of a Wimbledon semifinal. I do not know if Novak Djokovic will

be pleased with his performance, he batted it out and came through in

the end, but for a few spots there, he let his opponent creep back in.

If he is going to win this Championship, he cannot let that

happen. He is a great competitor. He was incredible throughout the match.

He had to deal with adversity, he is not playing his best tennis. But he

is through to the final. That speaks volumes for his character and his

competitive spirit. We were sitting waiting for the fifth set and you

think it will go the distance, but he found a way to wriggle out and

win the fourth set. You mentioned that tie-break. Let us look at it.

It was key. Dimitrov was in the driving seat. He certainly was. He

got the mini-break. He had a few chances to put the ball away. One of

the aspects of this match is the athletic ability. We have seen

players sliding a bit, moving and controlled sliding, but they were

incredible. I think the court is dusty. Their athletic ability is

incredible. This was the first of the set points. He slept there and

made Djokovic work. I mean, you cannot try any harder than that --

slipped. It is great effort on the part of both players. They are

trying everything. I keep going back to Wimbledon, if you cannot lay it

on the line here every time, then I do not know what to say. Absolutely.

Djokovic served the volley and you guys were surprised. It was a nice

tactic and I do not know whether it had the conviction behind it, if he

really believed it. Here is Dimitrov on match point down, could not

control the drop volley and Djokovic was able to finish it off. Maybe one

too many dropped volleys? One thing we noticed is that there is a strong

breeze. Obviously Dimitrov was trying to hit the drop volley with

the wind behind him. That gave Djokovic the chance to run it down.

From this end of the court, when we see the serving, they will be

dominant -- dominating the baseline volleys. There will be more

challenges. We saw a lot of slips, what are the shoes they where these

days? The grasscourt soul has pimples on it. In the green areas,

that is fine. Where the court is completely bare, it is almost like

concrete. Those pimples have got nothing to dig into and that is

where they have been sliding a bit more. Jimmy, when you have not got

confidence in your footing, it is off-putting. Especially the way the

players are moving. They are picking up their feet and getting to every

ball and trying to get into the right position to make contact. Do

not have confidence in being able to move your feet to set up the shots,

it puts that bit of doubt in there and you miss a few. We have had that

sort of weather. We have had that warm weather which has taken a lot

out of the ball. When you see those shots, the court is dry, but it is

getting dusty. On a pay court, you have a top dressing of play and it

makes you slide -- Clyde. The guys are trying to control the slide. We

have not seen so much of that over the years, but with the way these

two guys move on hard courts, that brings a new element. How will this

affect the next match, because Federer will have to try and move on

this baseline? It will be difficult. He will have to get his timing down

quickly, play the ball back, once it is in play, he has the advantage. I

think we will have to batten down the hatches, put extra covering on

the back fences. There will be hard-hitting tennis to come. How

will the wind affect the served? It will be interesting -- serve. They

will not need to force the ball. Will the winds make it more

difficult for Federer? Sometimes. The timing will have to be spot on.

From the other end, it means you can be more aggressive, because you are

playing into the wind. When I reflect on both their serving

performances, they have only lost their serve three times between

them. You would think on present form there will be few chances. It

will be about who can create the chances. Federer, he knows what this

is about. He has an air of supremacy and he will try and influence

Ravitch. He has been here before, he knows this court and the conditions

-- Raonic. He has won seven times. His comfort zone will be there.

Raonic will have to get his footing at the beginning. And you start for

him. -- a new start. Keane of the court and he has been

perfect. Not a big crowd here -- King. I was going to say that

Federer was the locker room watching their previous semifinal and he has

the experience to know he has to come here and focus. He has to put

in a good performance. But think he looked at that match and fancied his

chances. It was very exciting -- I think. Federer would fancy playing

Novak Djokovic in the final. Djokovic was not at his best. Roger

Federer has said before, playing someone with a big serve, he has to

take care of his serve and make sure he does not make any mistakes. Good

point, it puts pressure on both sides. I think Raonic will do what

he does best, serve hard and try and take advantage.

sides. I think Raonic will do what he does best, serve hard When it

comes down to it, he will let it rip on the returns. He will try and

impose his height and strength on Roger Federer. Roger will have to

get the ball and play, it is how well he gets the ball in play will

stop it is a little cat and mouse game. In the early stages of the

match, when you think that this is the Grand Slam semifinal, it is new

territory for Ravitch at Wimbledon. He will want to rely on that --

Raonic. If he does not get the first serves and Federer is able to get

into the baseline rallies, it will be important that Raonic gets his

speed moving early. When there is nervous tension, the legs beat heavy

and the footwork is not as crisp as it can be and that is where Federer

will have an opportunity. The word on Raonic is that he has a big serve

and not much else, but that has changed. He moves well. We are going

to move the tennis to BBC Two. We are closing down here to make way

for the football. We are heading to Brazil for France versus Germany.

That is coming up live here. We have got Roger Federer on BBC Two. He is

in his ninth Wimbledon semifinal, he has never lost one of them. Roger

Federer will play Milos Raonic. If you want to watch that, join us on

BBC Two. Goodbye.