Seven time champion Roger Federer was the last man standing among the ‘big four’ of men’s tennis after Novak Djokovic followed Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in making a shock Wimbledon exit.

After avenging last year’s semi-final defeat to Milos Raonic by thrashing the Canadian in straight sets – 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 - the 35-year-old subsequently admitted to shock at being the last man standing among the past champions, but made it clear that he knows he still has work to do.

“Of course, I'm surprised to see them going out, but the other guys are playing well. Grass court margins are small and it still remains a great, great tournament,” he said of his semi-final opponent Tomas Berdych, as well as Marin Cilic and Sam Querrey who meet in the top half of the draw.

“These other guys are all big hitters. I feel like they will have their word to say of the outcome of the matches.

“All three guys are taller and stronger than I am. I got to figure out a different way, carve my way through the draw somehow with my slice and my spins, my consistency maybe.”

Berdych, a finalist seven years ago when he was beaten by Nadal, is in no doubt about the scale of the challenge he faces after benefitting from Djokovic’s injury enforced withdrawal early in the second set of their match after the Czech had won a hard fought opener on a tie-break.

“It's a really exceptional tennis player that we have, that our sport actually has right now,” he said of Federer.

“There was nobody better in the past. I think he's the greatest of them all. It's a great challenge to have the opportunity to play him.”

Djokovic, who looked like a challenger to that title when he held all four Grand Slam titles this time last year, had similar problems to Murray in carrying an injury into the tournament, both players appearing to have paid a physical price for last year’s intense battle for the world number spot.

However the Serb revealed afterwards that the issue with his elbow was the same one that contributed to his defeat to Querrey in the first week of last year’s Wimbledon and admitted that it is in danger of becoming a chronic injury.

“The intensity and the level of pain was not decreasing. It was only increasing as the days went by,” he said.

Cilic meanwhile raced away with the fifth set of his battle with Gilles Muller, winning 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 as the 34-year-old from Luxembourg ultimately appeared to run out of steam two days after beating Nadal 15-13 in the final set of their epic fourth round encounter.