Tommy Haas is determined to produce one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history because he knows the chance may never come around again.
Haas, a Wimbledon semi-finalist for the first time at the age of 31, is bidding to become the oldest men’s champion at the All England Club since Arthur Ashe in 1975.
The German’s stunning quarter-final victory over Serbia’s Novak Djokovic means today he will face a Centre Court showdown against Swiss master Roger Federer.
Haas has 10 Wimbledon appearances behind him, stretching back to 1997, but until this year there had been just one solitary fourth-round appearance and a myriad of trials and tribulations.
He has matured well, though, and feels he still has time to achieve something special at SW19.
“You push yourself even more to try to get to these occasions and follow your dreams as a kid,” Haas said.
“Tennis players have a short career, some shorter than others. At 33, 34 or 35 you might be done.
“Then you have a whole life left. You want to be able to look back and say, ‘Hey, I played the sport that I love as long as I could and I’ve tried my best’.
“You look back at what you have accomplished and you want to be proud of yourself.”
The obstacle standing in his way of a first grand slam final is the genius that is Federer, a man who has been in the last six finals, and who saw his five-title streak brought to an end by world number one, Rafael Nadal, last July.
Federer knocked Haas out of the French Open this year in an unforgettable five-set match, in which the German was five points from securing a straight-sets win.
Then on a fateful break point opportunity, he was stunned by a superb Federer forehand that sparked a turnaround in fortunes.
“It is in the past,” said Haas. “It’s done. Being a friend of his and knowing how much it meant to him winning the French Open, I’m happy he made that shot.”
Federer defeated hard-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic in straight sets to book a place in his 21st consecutive grand slam semi-final.
The Swiss star is chasing a record-breaking 15th grand slam but is quick to pay tribute to Haas.
Federer said: “I’ve trained with him a lot, and I knew that it was just a matter of time before he started getting good results again.
“We’ve got closer recently, training then going for something to eat together afterwards. It’s great when someone shows the determination to come back after injury.”