Nadal sorry to see Federer exit

World number one Rafael Nadal said he was saddened to see old rival Roger Federer knocked out of Wimbledon as the 16-time Grand Slam title winner slumped to a landmark defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Nadal, whose epic history with the great Swiss has stretched to 25 matches down the years, was stunned by seeing Federer lose a first Grand Slam match when two sets to love up.

“I am sorry for him. He was playing really good tennis in Roland Garros four weeks ago, and during this tournament I saw him play really, really well,” said the Spaniard.

“Today he was winning against a difficult opponent two sets to love, and in my opinion playing very good tennis. But you know how difficult is this surface.

“When you play against a player like Tsonga, who has this fantastic serve, you are under pressure all the time even if you are winning two sets to love.”

Fourth seed Andy Murray, who tackles Nadal in today’s semi-finals, said he was impressed by the way Tsonga battled back in his 3-6, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win.

“It’s a surprise for him to lose from two sets to love. I think Tsonga’s an excellent player. When he plays well, he’s very, very difficult to beat, especially on this surface,” said the Scot.

“To come back from two sets to love is a very difficult thing to do. Against Roger at Wimbledon, it’s even tougher.”