It’s the first time since 2002 that Federer has failed to reach the final. Since losing in the first round eight years ago, Federer had played in the championship match a record seven consecutive times. He won the title six times and finished runner-up once, bolstering his reputation as the greatest player of all-time.

Winner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, Federer said he was unable to play his best tennis Wednesday because of pain in his back and right leg.

“I couldn’t play the way I wanted to play,” said Federer, who had been chasing the record of seven titles won by Pete Sampras and 19th-century player William Renshaw. “I am struggling with a little bit of a back and a leg issue. That just doesn’t quite allow me to play the way I would like to play. It’s frustrating, to say the least.”

Berdych ripped a clean forehand winner on his second match point to become the first Czech to reach the men’s semifinals since Ivan Lendl in 1990.

“It’s really tough to show this crowd how I’m just feeling right now, it’s amazing to play in this stadium, to play such a great player as Roger is, and come here and be here as a winner is just really amazing,” the 20-year-old Berdych said.

Berdych will next face Novak Djokovic, who swept past Yen-hsun Lu in straight sets to reach the semifinals for the second time. The third-seeded Djokovic never faced a break point as he beat the 82nd-ranked Taiwanese player 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in less than two hours on Court 1.

In other matches, No. 2 Rafael Nadal played No. 6 Robin Soderling, and No. 4 Andy Murray faced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

With the loss, Federer will drop to No. 3 in the ATP rankings next week for the first time since Nov. 10, 2003. Since winning the Australian Open in January, he has failed to win a tournament.

Federer said his leg and back have been bothering him since the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, the week before Wimbledon. He hadn’t previously mentioned any injury problems.

“When you’re hurting, it’s just a combination of many things,” Federer said. “You just don’t feel as comfortable. You can’t concentrate on each and every point because you do feel the pain sometimes. You tend to play differently than the way you want to play.

“Under the circumstances, I think I played a decent match,” he added. “But I’ve been feeling bad for the last two, three matches now. If there’s anything good about this, it’s that I’m going to get some rest.”

Federer was playing in his 25th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. He had won 23 straight, but now has lost two in a row. Federer fell to Robin Soderling at the French Open earlier this month.

Federer had won 76 of 77 grass-court matches dating to 2003 coming into this month, but has now lost two of the past six, including to Lleyton Hewitt in Halle.

Federer was clearly outplayed Wednesday by a man who has always possessed enormous talent but often failed to live up to expectations.

The 6-foot-5 Berdych was on the offensive for most of the match, smacking first serves consistently in the 130s mph (above 210 kph), winding up to rip forehand winners and not buckling under pressure. He hit 51 winners, compared to 44 for Federer.

“He played well when he had to,” Federer said. “It was brutal for me. Every time he had a chance, he took it. On the break points, he played great on those. … When I did have chances, I played poorly. It was just a frustrating match the way it all went.”

Berdych broke Federer four times, with the final break coming in the seventh game of the fourth set. Berdych served 12 aces, was broken just once and saved seven of eight break points.

Federer came in with an 8-2 career record against Berdych, having lost the first match at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the last in Miami this year.

“I don’t think I played poorly,” Federer said. “I think he went after it. I know Berdych. I think I’ve played him 10 times already before. That’s the way he plays.

“I think he’s been able to play more consistent last year or so, and I was just not able to defend well enough and I didn’t come up with the good stuff when I had to. It was disappointing.”

Lu stunned three-time finalist Andy Roddick in the fourth round, but couldn’t replicate that performance against Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion.

Djokovic lost just 12 points in 13 service games. He won 26 of his first 28 service points, including 15 in a row. The Serb had 29 winners and 17 unforced errors, and converted five of 15 break points.

“Nothing is easy these days, especially at this stage of the tournament,” Djokovic said. “But the way I played, I deserved to win. I was hitting all the shots and I was really playing very solid from all parts of the court. I’m very, very happy with the performance today.”

Djokovic reached the semifinals here in 2007 but had to retire against Rafael Nadal with a foot injury while trailing in the third set.

“This time physically I’m fitter,” Djokovic said. “Those were very strange conditions and circumstances. I had to play three very long matches in three days and couldn’t hold on in the semifinal. This time everything is in order and I’ll give my best.”

“He will have to take it very easy during the next two to three weeks or a month, and then he will continue with a recuperation program slowly,” Orava told The Associated Press. “The foot won’t take much strain for two to three months.”

Orava also said it would be “four months to running,” and another two months before playing.

Beckham’s spokesman, Simon Oliveira, said the tendon was completely repaired, and he expected Beckham to return to the game.

“David is expected to make a full recovery,” Oliveira said.

That means Beckham won’t be bending free kicks or curling pinpoint passes at the World Cup that begins June 11 in South Africa — what he had hoped would be his fourth appearance for England at the tournament.

But most experts expect that Becks will eventually be back.

He has such a giant personality that his legacy may even grow stronger.

“While it’s a horrible setback for the man — everybody knows how much he would have loved to be at the World Cup — his future is as bright as it’s ever been because of the kind of following he’s built up in the last decade,” celebrity publicist Max Clifford told The Associated Press.

Beckham was injured in the closing minutes of AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Chievo Verona. Walking with crutches, he was cheered by hundreds of fans as he checked into a hospital in Turku, Finland, after arriving by private jet.

“I hope to make a swift and full recovery,” Beckham said in a statement before surgery.

On Sunday, a person familiar with the injury told the AP that Beckham “will miss the World Cup for sure.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

“David Beckham is a household name,” said Rich Mkhondo, a spokesman for the World Cup organizing committee. “If he had been at the World Cup in South Africa it would have enhanced spectator presence. We wish him luck and hope that he has a speedy recovery. We would love it if he recovers in time and is picked to play at the World Cup.”

Even if Beckham’s playing days are over, he has plenty of off-the-field commitments and earning power to keep him busy.

Beckham earned a reported $16.5 million in personal sponsorship deals in his first full season with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. A separate company, Brand Beckham, receives his $5.5 million base salary from the Galaxy, the share of merchandising he generates for the club, and joint endorsements with his pop-star wife, Victoria, including their range of fragrances.

Beckham has sponsorship deals with Adidas, Motorola and Armani, among others.

“Brand Beckham is the most famous brand in world football,” Clifford said. “He’s become a star outside football. In terms of earnings, advertising, sponsors and offers, there is no reason the next two or three years should not be as successful as the last two or three years because of what he brings to the table.”

Bobby Charlton, star of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team, thinks Beckham will at least return to playing club football.

“I don’t know if we will see him in an England shirt again. I hope so,” Charlton said. “I have known him for a long time and he gets a lot of pleasure out of playing the game. Forget about all the finance and the hyperbole that goes with it, he just loves playing football.”

The bottom line: Never count Beckham out. He rose from humble roots in east London to become one of the most famous athletes on the planet. He’s absorbed some major setbacks over the years, and always managed to bounce back and defy the critics:

– Beckham was hung in effigy by some England fans after being red-carded against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, only to come back as England captain at the 2002 tournament.

– After a stellar career at Manchester United, he was dumped by manager Alex Ferguson in 2003, but went on to win a Spanish league title with Real Madrid.

– Beckham tearfully relinquished the England captaincy after the team went out of the 2006 World Cup, yet managed to regain a place with national team and surpass the milestone of 100 appearances (he’s now at 115).

Beckham is no longer considered a vital member of the England team, whose star player is striker Wayne Rooney. Although Beckham was likely to be picked for the World Cup squad, he was not expected to be a starter. He is now considered more valuable coming off the bench to provide a spark in the second half.

There’s a good chance Beckham could be in South Africa as a face of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

“He is a huge asset to the bid — there is no question about that,” Football Association chairman David Triesman said. “He is very charismatic and an extremely decent person who will do all and anything to help his country.”

If Beckham makes a full recovery, he could return to the England team for its qualifying campaign for the 2012 European Championship. The first matches are in September.

Beckham could certainly return to the Galaxy and AC Milan if he wants.

“He’ll come back from the injury. I don’t think he’ll want to retire on this note,” former England teammate Andy Cole told BBC radio. “He’ll work his socks off to try to get himself fit.”

Milan would definitely welcome him back.

Beckham also has expressed interest in owning an MLS team one day.

“I want to be involved in the game in some way when I finish,” he said in November. “Owning a franchise is something that’s definitely possible and something that I’m really thinking about, and I think will happen eventually.”

British brand consultant Simon Middleton said there is no reason Beckham won’t succeed at whatever he tries, thanks to his enduring crossover appeal and upstanding reputation.

“I think probably in terms of world class football, his days have got to be numbered,” Middleton said. “However, that doesn’t mean his days as an icon and a brand are over at all.

“By and large he is one of those sportsmen who has managed to maintain his integrity. We’ve watched him grow up. He’s made some mistakes and always bounced back. He’s never lost that core admiration people had for him.”

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Associated Press Writers Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki, Jeremy Inson in Milan and AP Sports Writers Ronald Blum in New York, Rob Harris in London and Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed to this report.

There was no immediate comment from Vancouver organizers, international luge officials or the International Olympic Committee. At the Whistler track, officials said the IOC and VANOC were preparing a joint statement to be released Friday afternoon.

Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled, went over the track wall and struck an unpadded steel pole near the finish line at Whistler Sliding Center.

Rescue workers were at his side within seconds, chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation started less than one minute after the crash, and he was quickly airlifted to a trauma center in Whistler.

Kumaritashvili struck the inside wall of the track on the final turn. His body immediately went airborne and cleared the ice-coated concrete wall along the left side of the sliding surface. His sled remained in the track, and it appeared his helmet visor skidded down the ice.

“It’s a very rare situation,” three-time Olympic champion and German coach Georg Hackl said before news of Kumaritashvili’s death broke, clearly shaken moments after seeing Kumaritashvili tended to furiously by medical officials.

Olympic competition in men’s luge is scheduled to begin Saturday. It’s unclear if that schedule would be affected.

It was unclear how fast Kumaritashvili was going, although many sliders have exceeded 90 mph on this course. The track is considered the world’s fastest and several Olympians recently questioned its safety. More than a dozen athletes have crashed during Olympic training for luge, and some questioned whether athletes from smaller nations — like Georgia — had enough time to prepare for the daunting track.

At the finish area, not far from where Kumaritashvili lost control, athletes, coaches and officials solemnly awaited word on Kumaritashvili before eventually being ushered away. Access to the crash area was closed within about 30 minutes.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Shiva Keshavan, a four-time Olympian from India.

The remainder of men’s training was canceled for the day, with VANOC officials saying in a release that an investigation was taking place to “ensure a safe field of play.”

Kumaritashvili competed in five World Cup races this season, finishing 44th in the world standings.

Earlier in the day, gold-medal favorite Armin Zoeggeler of Italy crashed, losing control of his sled on Curve 11. Zoeggeler came off his sled and held it with his left arm to keep it from smashing atop his body. He slid on his back down several curves before coming to a stop and walking away.

Training days in Whistler have been crash-filled. A Romanian woman was briefly knocked unconscious and at least four Americans — Chris Mazdzer on Wednesday, Megan Sweeney on Thursday and both Tony Benshoof and Bengt Walden on Friday in the same training session where Zoeggeler wrecked — have had serious trouble just getting down the track.

“I think they are pushing it a little too much,” Australia’s Hannah Campbell-Pegg said Thursday night after she nearly lost control in training. “To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean, this is our lives.”

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AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds and Tom Withers in Whistler contributed to this report.