July 03, 2008

ROGER Federer could make history by becoming the first man to win six successive Wimbledon titles - but he won't be satisfied until he's added at least five more to his name.

The world No.1 is unbeaten on grass for six years after racking up his 64th win in a row on the surface by cruising past Mario Ancic to set up a mouthwatering semi-final with Marat Safin.

"I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years,'' insisted the 26-year-old Federer.

"Doesn't matter how I play from here. I think my game's made for grass. There will always be tough opponents, dangerous opponents.

"But I always found a way to win. Of course, my dream is to not only win this year, but for many more years to come. If it doesn't happen, I'll try to win the next one again. This is what it's all about for me at this stage.''

If he achieves his goal, it will comfortably make him the most successful grand slam winner of all time, surpassing close friend Pete Sampras's record of 14.

At the moment, his running tally stands at 12.

However, he first must get past Safin, a former world No.1 and US Open and Australian Open champion who's been the revelation of Wimbledon by defying his world ranking of 75 to reach his first All England Club semi-final.

Saturday's match (EST) will be the volatile Russian's first grand slam last-four appearance since 2005, the year he beat Federer on his way to lifting the Australian Open, his last trophy performance on the tour.

Federer, who holds an 8-2 career winning record over Safin including a straight-sets, fourth-round win here in 2007, has nothing but respect for his opponent.

That admiration can only have been enhanced by seeing Safin destroy world number three Novak Djokovic in the second round.

For the Swiss, Safin's current lowly ranking is irrelevant.

"I have never looked at Marat like No.75 in the world. That's ridiculous. He knows that himself. He's finally showing again what he can do,'' said Federer.

"It's quite surprising he does it here at Wimbledon, because he used to dislike playing on this surface.

"It should be interesting. Last year I wasn't happy to see Safin in my draw. I'm never happy. He probably knows that.''