“What a shocker that one was,” Federer said. “I was just really disappointed when I lost to him.”

With the upset, Ancic earned the nickname Super Mario. Federer said he underestimated the 6-foot-5 Croatian with the big serve and allowed him to take control of the net.

“I just thought, ‘I’ll play a little bit of serve and volley.’ I expected him to stay back,” Federer said. “And it was the opposite. I couldn’t serve and volley, because I thought conditions were slow. He serve and volleyed first and second serves. I got completely surprised.”

Federer said the match cured his habit of taking some opponents lightly.

“When guys maybe didn’t have the proper technique or were new on tour, I would sometimes not give them the respect maybe they deserved,” he said.

That no longer happens, which is one reason Federer has won 12 major championships. This week he can become the first man to win six successive Wimbledon titles since William Renshaw in 1881-86.

During his Wimbledon reign, Federer has lost only eight of 122 sets, sweeping all 12 this year. He has won the opening set in 37 of his 38 victories, the lone exception being the 2004 final against Andy Roddick. He has beaten 31 players, including six Grand Slam champions — Nadal, Safin, Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Thomas Johansson and Juan Carlos Ferrero — as well as Ancic in a 2006 rematch.

Federer also beat Ancic a month ago in the third round at the French Open. Since losing to Ancic in their first meeting, Federer is 5-0 against the Croatian, sweeping all 14 sets.

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