Wimbledon 2014 Results: What Friday's Scores Revealed About Semifinalists

Finally a fresh matchup in the final of a Grand Slam: Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer.

Despite this being the 35th matchup between the two, it's only the second time they've met in a Grand Slam final, per Carole Bouchard of L'Equipe:

With Federer's overall career decline, this may also be one of the few times that he makes the final of a major tournament. He had previously been 0-7, which is a massive drought for somebody who used to win Grand Slams for fun.

Federer's performance in the semifinals was one of the bigger surprises of the round.

Milos Raonic

Ben Curtis/Associated Press

You can't really be too harsh on Milos Raonic. Federer was simply that much better. He rolled back the years and put in a vintage Roger Federer performance.

The one critique on Raonic, though, is that he seemed to kind of shrink early on in the match. He didn't look up for the moment.

You can't get broken on your first service game in the semifinal at Wimbledon.

It may sound contradictory, but Raonic was both close and far away from Federer at the same time. The Canadian served very well, but he never threatened when Federer was on serve.

The Starters' Leigh Ellis captured the general feeling about Raonic's performance:

Raonic will make himself more comfortable in the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments over time, but for right now, he's not yet at a level to threaten the established order.

Grigor Dimitrov

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

There are some parallels between Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov. Both guys are 23 years old. Both were playing in their first Grand Slam semifinal, and their previous bests heading into Wimbledon were quarterfinal runs.

Unlike Raonic, Dimitrov gave you the impression that his ascension may come sooner rather than later.

As The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg wrote, Friday was one of the first times that the Bulgarian put it all together on the court:

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Dimitrov will find it tough to get over wasting three consecutive set points in the fourth set tie-break. Something similar happened against Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open quarter-finals. Yet there were positives nonetheless, further confirmation that we are dealing with an enormous talent. Dimitrov glimpsed greatness and his time will come.

This has been his breakthrough year, when he has developed the physicality to match his outrageous gifts under the guidance of Roger Rasheed. The 23-year-old pushed the remorseless Djokovic hard in four sets that oscillated wildly, their exchanges occasionally breathtaking but sometimes mundane as both men tried to come to terms with the blustery conditions. The wind often disrupted their flow, doing weird things to the ball as it jerked unpredictably through the air.

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Dimitrov will look back on the third and fourth sets as missed opportunities. Djokovic was reeling after the second, but his opponent couldn't go in for the kill. Every player needs to go through a little adversity, though, before he can reach the summit.

Both Raonic and Dimitrov cemented themselves as two of the biggest emerging threats to the "Big Four."

Just don't be surprised if Dimitrov gets to the top first.

Roger Federer

Ben Curtis/Associated Press

Back in September 2013, I wrote that Federer had enough to make one more run at glory. But I'll admit that I had completely written him off after he exited in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows and then in Paris earlier in the year.

If only I would've followed my own advice.

Federer turned back the clock in Friday's semifinal. He bludgeoned Raonic with that beautiful backhand and was perfectly consistent on serve, which fell in with his play all tournament. Only once has he been broken on serve.

Even at 32 years old, Federer remains more than talented enough to win at least one more Grand Slam title.

Complacency certainly won't be a worry. Asked how much he wants to lift an eighth Wimbledon trophy, he said, per ESPN.com:

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A lot. I must say I'm unbelievably proud every time I can walk the grounds here and keep on playing this tournament. I know I don't have 10 left, so I'll try to enjoy it as much as I can. Clearly, the first one was unbelievably special in 2003. And that I was able to play so successful for so many years here at Wimbledon has been an unbelievable thrill and that I get another chance to go through these kind of emotions is great.

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Granted, Federer hasn't had the most difficult of roads to the final, but he can only beat the guys in front of him.

The dominant way in which he's gotten this far should silence any doubts as to whether he can finish the job.

Novak Djokovic

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

This may seem like a cop-out, but did we really learn anything new about Djokovic?

We've long since moved past the narrative of whether Djokovic has the mental strength to become the best player in tennis. His comeback after losing the second set was impressive, but we've seen it plenty of times before.

This is the fourth time in the last five majors that he's been in the final, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Djokovic does look a bit vulnerable. He needed five sets to get past Marin Cilic and then had his hands full with Dimitrov, Radek Stepanek and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Federer, meanwhile, has dropped one set all tournament. If there was ever a time to knock off Djokovic, it's now.