Here are the four Wimbledon men’s semifinalists: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Richard Gasquet. But before they take the court tomorrow, how about we get to know them a little better. Who knew that they are more than just great tennis players? Here some of our favorite pieces of trivia about all four of these Wimbledon semifinalists.
Let’s first start with Roger Federer. As you hopefully already know, Federer is no stranger to Wimbledon, having won the tournament an outstanding 7 times. And this year, he has only dropped one set this tournament in his journey to tomorrow’s match against Andy Murray.
Fun facts:
- Though we all look at him as a god, the man is sometimes human and even has fears of his own. So drum roll, please…Roger Federer is scared of roller coasters. Do with that tidbit of information what you will.
- Federer once went a whopping 105 points in a row without an unforced error. That’s as close to perfection as you can get right there.
- Federer is father to two adorable sets of twins, one pair of girls and one pair of boys. Because one set just wasn’t enough, I guess.
Andy Murray comes next. He has also had great success here on the grass, beating Federer in finals of the 2012 Olympics and then backing it up with a Wimbledon win in 2013. How will he do against the master Federer this year?
Fun facts:
- Murray won his first Grand Slam in 2012 at the US Open, becoming the first British man to win a major since Fred Perry in 1936. He became an even bigger British hero when he won Wimbledon the next year.
- Murray chose to ditch soccer at age 15 to pursue his tennis career, even declining an invitation to join the Rangers Football Club School of Excellence. Glad that one worked out for him.
- Murray attended Dunblane Primary School and was at the school during the Dunblane Massacre in 1996 when Thomas Hilton shot 17 people.
Djokovic had a close call against Kevin Anderson during the fourth round this Wimbledon, but he climbed his way out of a two-set deficit and took the fifth set 7-5. He cleaned up his act during his straight-set quarterfinals victory against Marin Cilic. Djokovic will play Richard Gasquet tomorrow.
Fun Facts:
- You can find Djokovic eating the Wimbledon grass every year. He says it tastes like sweat. Yum.
- Djokovic adopted a gluten-free and dairy-free diet a few years back, and as a result turned into one of tennis’s greats. You can eat like Djokovic yourself with DJOKOlife, his very own line of food products.
- Djokovic is always looking for innovative ways to stay fit and healthy. So it’s no wonder that he has taken up ballet with his wife to stay toned and flexible. I have to say, it seems to be working.
Richard Gasquet has not made the semifinals of Wimbledon since 2007. But this Wimbledon has been all about him and his beautiful one-handed backhand. He took his revenge on Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round and then upset the French Open Champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Good luck against Djokovic tomorrow.
Fun facts:
- Gasquet’s favorite actor is Russell Crowe. Let’s just hope he didn’t see Les Mis.
- Gasquet was out of the game for seven weeks in 2005 due to a bout of the chickenpox. That just makes me itch thinking about it.
- Gasquet was a tennis prodigy, even finding himself on the cover of French Tennis Magazine when he was only 9 years old. I guess they had a good feeling about this guy.
