Roger Federer in Nearly Perfect Form Ahead of 2015 US Open Semifinal

Midway through Roger Federer's demolition of Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, ESPN cut to footage of NBC's The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake clowning around in the stands doing dance moves from Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video.

Fallon is such an apropos reference for Federer's nearly perfect performance in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 dismantling of Gasquet. 

You see, before Fallon took over the reins of The Tonight Show, he did a regular comedy bit called "At the Bar with Roger Federer" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The skit features Fallon in a parody in which he impersonates Federer in what vaguely passes as a Swiss accent. The punchline: Roger Federer is "so perfect."   

It's silly and mocks the elegance and regality that is Federer.

However, as with most caricatures, there's truth in there somewhere. Federer is indeed as perfect of a player as tennis has ever seen.

He looks so perfect. He moves so perfectly. He hits cross-court forehands, down-the-line backhands, stealth drop shots and smoking aces, all so perfectly.

He's peaking just in time for a showdown with compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals.

Following the match with Gasquet, Federer told reporters, per the U.S. Open website, that he's not surprised by his level of play, even at age 34. 

"I think I have worked on my game moving forward, have been able to take the ball earlier, and, you know, I think I'm volleying better than I have the last 10 years," he said. "I think I was volleying well coming up on the tour when I was younger because I was spending more time at net."

Federer looked and played like a younger version of himself. He zipped to the ball and dashed toward the net, hitting one clean winner after another.

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

He finished the match with 50 winners and 16 aces. His first-serve percentage was at 76 for the entire match. Speaking of his serve, Federer has been broken only once this summer. He's yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows. 

"Maybe at my age to run through, you know, five opponents the way I have done here at the US Open, I don't consider that normal, to be quite honest...I've played so well over the last one-and-a-half years. I don't feel like I'm as old as I am. I still feel young," Federer told reporters in his post-match press conference. 

Federer's magnificent form seems all the more improbable when you consider that just two years ago he had one of the worst years of his career. He was also struggling with a back injury, which he told Johnette Howard of ESPN helped him put his game and career in perspective. 

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Clearly the back issue in '13 gave me the opportunity to look at the picture more in a broader scale, rather than just think I need to get my back straight and then I'll be fine again and we'll go back to status quo...It was an opportunity to change things around. I'm happy I used that time when maybe I wasn't winning as many matches to figure things out for myself.

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On the eve of the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic spoke with Peter Bodo of ESPN about Federer's improved form, saying, "He's playing some of the best tennis of his life...Many people did talk about his career coming to an end after that season [2013] that was below his standard, but he came back stronger."

You could call it vintage Federer, but that wouldn't be quite accurate. This is new-age Federer using old-school tactics. He's doing his serve and volley, chip and charge, all on a larger racket than what he used back in the day.

This throwback style could give Federer an advantage against Wawrinka. The two last met at the French Open, where Wawrinka defeated Federer in straight sets. But that was the slower clay.

Federer's more aggressive play with his seemingly unlimited variety of shot lends itself to the speedier courts at the U.S. Open. Being able to execute a drop shot from the baseline will come in handy against Wawrinka, who loves to punish deep balls with a backhand down the line. Federer's superior and more reliable serve will allow more options when it comes to attacking Wawrinka.  

Of course, Wawrinka brings more firepower to the match than Gasquet did. However, they have similar games, with both using textbook one-handed backhands. Gasquet could prove to have been the perfect sparring partner for Federer ahead of his big bout with Wawrinka. 

Although he's played well throughout the tournament, Wednesday night was something extra special. It was as if he could do no wrong.

"I felt the ball great, from the return. I felt like I hand extra time because I had played (John) Isner before," he told the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium (via ESPN broadcast).

His match was originally scheduled to follow a doubles exhibition that featured John McEnroe and Michael Chang against Mardy Fish and Jim Courier.

However, weather forced tournament officials to move Federer's match to an earlier start. Federer breezed through three sets in an hour and 27 minutes. So instead of the expected late night with Roger Federer, it was good night, Gasquet. 

And it was all so perfect.