Roger Federer calls first Wimbledon match against Novak Djokovic 'intriguing'

WIMBLEDON, England -- Intriguing. Roger Federer might have described his Wimbledon semifinal Friday against No. 1 Novak Djokovic as important. Or critical. Or possibly a last hoorah. But he called it intriguing.

They've played 26 times -- Federer, the man with the record 16 Grand Slam titles, and Djokovic, who has replaced Federer at the top of the rankings. Federer has won 14, but Djokovic has taken seven of the last eight, including three straight.

They've faced each other in the semifinals of the French Open and the U.S. Open, and five years ago in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. This, however, will be the first meeting at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which brought about Federer's observation.

"I don't know how it changes the preparation," said Federer, "but I certainly think it's intriguing. And when it's intriguing, it's a pleasure. We know our matches on clay, outdoors and indoors on hardcourts. But we don't know what it's like to play on grass, so it's a bit of the unknown."

This is the semifinal -- the No. 1 seed Djokovic, the No. 3 seed Federer -- of the most interest, except around here, because in the other Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France faces Andy Murray, the Scot trying to become the first British male since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon singles.

"Murray-mania," Sue Parker, the former player told the BBC audience. Or as the headline on Simon Barnes' column in the Times of London put it, "Murray defeats inner demons to become true title challenger."

Federer, trying to win a seventh Wimbledon, which would tie William Renshaw (back in the 1880s, the first years) and Pete Sampras (1990s and 2000), has no demons, just desperation.

He will be 31 in a month, ancient in his sport. "He definitely wants to prove to himself and everybody else," said Djokovic, "that he can win again."