Roger Federer is ready for his semifinal against Marin Cilic, a rematch of their round-of-16 meeting four weeks ago in Toronto.
Federer noted Cilic's improvement since returning from a reduced anti-doping suspension and being coached by former Grand Slam champion Goran Ivanisevic, saying his opponent was "playing really nice, you know. I must say he's really cleaned up his game."
The world No. 3 will be looking to play a better match than their previous encounter but wants to build on his 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 win at the Rogers Cup.
"I played him in Toronto. Funny match, you know. I didn't play great in the first set but somehow got it done, and then I think I wasted like eight match points in the second set? Had to go three," said Federer. "It was late at night, but that's maybe exactly the kind of matches I needed to win. You know, second round, 12:30 at night—‘I mean, do I really have to do this?' But that's exactly what got me through.
"So it was good to beat him, you see. That's sometimes how you have to get your ways. I think he's doing great."
Federer also noted similarities with his quarterfinal against Gael Monfils, and indicated that Cilic's play would affect how much he approached the net.
"I know that Cilic is going to stay on the baseline and dictate play as much as he can. Otherwise he's actually quite similar to Gael. He’s tall, got a big serve, can return well, got a big reach. From that standpoint, I guess it was actually good playing Gael tonight ahead of the match against Cilic."
It is the second time Cilic has reached a Grand Slam semifinal.