There were plenty of upsets during the fortnight at Wimbledon, but the men’s final will feature two members of the legendary Big Four for the fourth straight year.

Djokovic Battles into Third Wimbledon Final

In the first semifinal, Novak Djokovic faced rising star Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic looked to continue the pursuit of his first Grand Slam title since 2013. Dimitrov, fresh from eliminating defending champion Andy Murray, was seeking to continue his emergence. But it was Djokovic who found his way to the final with a 6-4 3-6 7-6 7-6 victory.

In the first set, top-seeded Djokovic rode his serve to gain the early advantage. Placing his first 19 first serves in play, he would finish the set by missing just four, while tossing in five aces.  Djokovic was able to gain one service break from Dimitrov, which was all he needed to take the set at 6-4.

After winning the first set, the Serb looked to put a stranglehold on the match in the second. Dictating play early, he jumped out to a quick lead. However, just as it looked as though Dimitrov would fall into a huge hole, he rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the set taking five games in a row. Gaining confidence, the Bulgarian placed Djokovic on the defensive by whipping massive forehands. A clearly frustrated Djokovic needed to regroup as the match evened going into the third set.

In the third set, both players appeared to keep their games close to the vest with neither making headway in the opponent’s serve. Fittingly, the set went to a tiebreak, where Djokovic bolted out to a 4-1 lead. It was a dodgy tiebreak for Dimitrov, who appeared nervous as he threw in a double fault with poor groundstrokes and some uneven footwork. The top seed cruised at 7-2 and took the important third set.

In a fourth set filled with ebbs and flows, Dimitrov quickly appeared to shake off the disappointment of the tiebreak by holding serve early. However, he started giving away free points via double faults and poor serving. Djokovic took advantage with a break. But, in what has been a recent trend for the top seed, he failed to bury his opponent when the opportunity appeared to present itself. The young Bulgarian shook off his dismal start and fought back, earning a break himself to level the set.

As the tension mounted, Djokovic could not contain his frustration, slamming his racket and later kicking the grass court. Nonetheless, he was able to settle his game down as neither player could break serve again, and the set went to another tiebreak. This time, Dimitrov gained an advantage. But with Dimitrov sitting on three set points, Djokovic scrapped his way back after a series of high-level tennis by both men. Finally, Djokovic found a match point on his racket and took advantage with a net cord winner to take the set and the match.

The six-time Grand Slam Champion had praise for his semifinal opponent. “I was playing against a future star,” Djokovic said. “He’s already a top player, and for winning against Murray in the quarters he deserves respect.”

Djokovic turned his attention to another finals appearance. “It's a good win for me. I am really pleased to be part of another entertaining match,” he said. “Considering that I have lost the past couple of Grand Slam finals, and all these matches I could have won, I am looking forward.”

Djokovic has an opportunity to regain world No. 1 with a win in the championship match on Sunday.

Federer Cruises into Ninth Wimbledon Final

In the second semifinal, Roger Federer faced big-serving Milos Raonic with the victor to face Novak Djokovic in the final. It was Federer controlling the match as he defeated the No. 8 seed 6-4 6-4 6-4.

In the opening set, Federer was able to find one crack in the powerful Raonic service armor early while protecting his own serve throughout the set. One break was all the seven-time Wimbledon champion needed as he gained an advantage when points progressed to baseline rallies.

The match clearly hinged on the Raonic serve, since the Canadian had little success against Federer once the Swiss star got into the point. This was shown in the ninth game of the second set, when Raonic blinked on his service game and allowed Federer the one break he needed. Much like the first set, Federer served out the set after acquiring the service break. It was more of the same in the third set as the ninth game was the undoing of Raonic once more. With Raonic serving at 4-4, Federer found a crack in his serve, broke, and closed out the match on his racket in just an hour and 41 minutes.

It will be Federer's ninth appearance in the Wimbledon final, and the veteran has savored every moment, “An eighth title would mean a lot. I am unbelievably proud every time I come here, and the first one was special, a dream come true. I get another chance to go through these emotions,” he said afterwards.

For the fourth seed, the path could not have been much smoother. Spending relatively little energy en route to the final should be a benefit for the 32-year-old, who has dropped only one set in six matches. Meanwhile, 2011 champion Djokovic was tested in a few matches on his way to the championship match, including a five-setter against Cilic and nearly two more against Stepanek and Dimitrov.

Federer holds a career 18-16 advantage over Djokovic head-to-head and looks forward to the challenge. “It's always great to play Novak,” Federer told BBC Sport. “We always have good games, we have played a lot lately, and it has gone back and forward. He is a great champion, so he is used to these occasions too. He already has this trophy too, so he knows how to do it, and I hope it's a good game.”

Despite the defeat, Raonic made individual progress and history for Canada, advancing to the Wimbledon semifinal along with Eugenie Bouchard, who will play for the women’s title on Saturday.