DHAKA: Roger Federer's 2013 narrative went something like this: He was too old. He was too stubborn. He couldn't beat his top rivals back-to-back, especially in best-of-five sets.

Fatherhood and Father Time had reeled him in.

"He was on holiday this time last year," said Tim Henman, the four-time Wimbledon semifinalist from Britain, referring to Federer's 2013 second-round exit to 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky.

That story arc has taken a different trajectory this year, and the 32-year-old Swiss is again in position to win a major, his first since the 2012 Wimbledon title.

He remained on course Wednesday for an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon title by beating compatriot and Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4 on Center Court. Federer advanced to his ninth All-England Club semifinal.

The fourth-seeded Federer will face No. 8 seed Milos Raonic, who reached the last four at a major for the first time. Playing later on Court 1, the Canadian stopped the impressive run of 19-year-old wild card Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Friday's other semifinal pits No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia against No. 11 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who beat defending champion Andy Murray in straight sets Wednesday.

"I'm just really pleased that I'm back strong at Wimbledon," Federer told the BBC shortly after the match. "Last year I didn't even come close. I was very deflated leaving Wimbledon on that note."

For all his success, Federer has been criticized at times for being obstinate – for not switching to a larger racket sooner, for failing to alter strategy against nemesis Rafael Nadal, for remaining coach-less too long during certain periods.

The tradition-bound player has slowly relented, changing to a 97-inch frame this year (from 85) and reaching out to his boyhood tennis idol, the elegant attacker Stefan Edberg, for part-time coaching help this season.

Nadal remains a roadblock but won't be an issue in London – big-hitting Kyrgios of Australia eliminated him in the fourth round.

Mostly, however, Federer's soaring game was held in check by a bothersome back. It flared up last year, impeding his ability to swing "freely" and undermined his confidence.

"I'm happy I'm sort of physically back where I can put myself in contention," Federer said.

After his worst season in a decade, Federer has been productive in 2014 on and off the court. He reached the Australian Open semifinals (losing to Nadal), won two titles, improved his ranking four spots and beat Djokovic for the first time (twice) since 2012.

Federer in 2014 erased one of last year's most dispiriting memories – a straight-set loss to Tommy Robredo in the U.S. Open quarterfinals – with a straight-set win against him in the round of 16. Federer won 81% of his points on serve, including all 20 in the second set.

By beating Wawrinka, Federer also avenged a loss on clay this year at Monte Carlo that snapped 11 consecutive victories against him.

"My serve has been working well for some time now," said Federer, who has been broken just once in this tournament. "I have the variation. I have the power."

Family duties continue to expand, too, not the least of which is twin boys Leo and Lenny that he and wife Mirka welcomed into the world in May (joining nearly 5-year-old twin girls Myla and Charlene) .

Federer said his "busy life" demands that he and his brood be "well-organized" and "on the same wavelength." But he hasn't been too strapped to dispense some advice to Djokovic, who is expecting his first child with fiancé Jelena Ristic.

"If he can ask anybody, it's me clearly," Federer said, chuckling. "I was happy to share my things with him that worked well and didn't work well for me in the past."

Federer has been in imperious form on grass this year, winning the Wimbledon tune-up at Halle for the seventh time and Wednesday dropping his only set on the way to the semifinals here.

It's no surprise that many experts say Federer's best chance to increase his record haul of 17 majors resides in London, due to his naturally attacking style and because he has been able to conserve energy. He has averaged one hour, 43 minutes on court in five matches.

"I always thought this was his best chance of winning another major," said Tennis Channel's Justin Gimelstob.
Federer is the most successful active player on grass, with an Open-era best 14 titles and a career mark of 130-18.
But don't discount age. Few men have won majors past 30, the most recent being then-32-year-old Andre Agassi at the 2003 Australian Open.

If Federer, who turns 33 in August, were to win Wimbledon, he would be the oldest major winner since 1972, when Ken Rosewall (37) won the Australian Open and Andres Gimeno (34) won the French Open.

Wawrinka compared beating Federer on grass to upending nine-time French Open champion Nadal on clay.

"When you play Roger at Wimbledon, when he's fit and confident and feeling well, it's one of the biggest challenges in tennis," Wawrinka said.

Federer is 4-0 vs. Raonic and 8-0 in Wimbledon semifinals. Is his storyline about to arc again?
"It's a huge ask," says Gimelstob. "But it's a huge ask to win Wimbledon at any age."

BDST: 0145 HRS, JULY 5, 2014