Roger Federer leads Andy Murray by a solitary victory in their 23-match duel over a decade but more pointedly by 17 grand slam titles to two – yet they have arrived at the semi-finals of Wimbledon, respectively No2 and No3 in the world, with hardly a penny between them in most people’s eyes.
Ladbrokes rates the Scot 2-1 to win here for the second time, Federer half a point longer at 7-2, while William Hill has Murray 8-11 to win on Friday and the Swiss, who has seven of these titles, 11-10. No doubt, home sentiment has coloured early investment but those markets are probably not far wrong.
On their respective showings on Wednesday, Federer might be the fresher and more relaxed, coming off a relatively untroubled win over Gilles Simon that detained him an hour and 35 minutes, to add to the six hours 16 minutes it took him to get through his first four matches without dropping a set.
Murray, looked more stressed beating the versatile and dangerous young Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours 12 minutes, to go with the eight hours and 50 minutes of his journey to the quarters. But neither of them has been seriously in danger at any time over the first nine days.
Murray, in his 150th victory in a grand slam match, moved into the semi-finals for the sixth time in 10 visits – excellence of the highest order – but he will come away from his victory (which was interrupted twice for rain and finished under the roof even though there was not a drop of rain to be seen for miles) eager to restore his energy levels over the concluding stages of his favourite tournament.
The soreness in Murray’s right shoulder that struck during his edgy win over Andreas Seppi last week and flared when he beat Ivo Karlovic on Monday might have been the root cause of some under-powered hitting from hand and off the ground, although there is no cause yet for major concern.
If Murray was striving for full force, Pospisil had his own physical burden, coming into his first grand slam quarter-final after three five-setters, including a tough win over the Londoner James Ward, not to mention his three hours and 39 minutes doubles defeat with Jack Sock against Andy’s brother, Jamie, and the Australian John Peers.
If Pospisil did not come to Centre Court a sitting Canadian duck, he was certainly a tired moose.
Just before the ground staff scurried on to court at 1.25pm to draw the covers over the turf after 13 minutes’ tennis, Murray (whose mood is always in sync with the elements) double-faulted in probably the most bizarre fashion of his interesting career, landing the ball in the middle of the wrong box. Nevertheless, he hit a 114mph boomer down the middle to hold for 3-1, regrouped and took the set.
When they resumed at 2.03pm, the skies had brightened, as had Pospisil’s spirits. He played his best tennis in this period before the second break for rain.
At 2.57pm, the umbrellas went up and the ground staff again rushed to the covers. They returned under the roof, windless and away from the now warm and pleasant sunshine bathing the rest of Wimbledon.
The club’s thinking was that more rain was forecast, so this was the time to go inside. Unfortunately for them, it did not rain for the rest of the match.
Pospisil struggled to hold his level under a fresh burst of pressure in longer rallies – and he was warned for slow serving as he gathered his composure in the 10th game of the second set.
Murray won a deft net battle for break point, taking his chance with an astonishingly difficult backhand crosscourt winner that left the Canadian sprawled on the grass.
“The first set, he played a great game to break,” Pospisil said. “Also, maybe my energy was a little bit low – first time in the quarter-finals of a grand slam. After the first rain delay, that first set and a half, I was pretty comfortable. I felt like I was dictating play. But I missed a couple balls when I shouldn’t have.”
He also did well to keep his composure during two time violations that arrived at the worst moment for him. Afterwards he vented his frustration. “A lot of times these umpires, they seem to just want to be seen. I don’t know why they do it at a time like that. How many times do you see the top guys go more than [30 seconds] and they don’t get any violation, especially when it’s important moments? But I go out there and I get a time violation. I was right about to serve the ball. If he would have waited one second longer, I would have served.
“I don’t agree with that time when he did it. Maybe the second one, yes, but not at five-all, 30-all. That was ridiculous, in my opinion. But I don’t think it affected me mentally very much.”
The argument was resolved in the proper way in the third set, with Pospisil, his legs slowing, still fighting hard and Murray chipping away at his resolve. The Canadian saved three break points in the first three games, hung in for 2-2 and also 4-4.
In the ninth game he was penalised on his serve for a second perceived delay on delivery, a decision that the partisan home crowd did not greet warmly. Murray got a fifth break point, Pospisil returned between his legs and was applauded but Murray broke with a clinical backhand and served for the match.
Pospisil left it until the death but finally got a break point then saved match point, before Murray served through deuce twice to finish the job with a final whipped forehand.
It was the sort of hard-earned win that will either harden Murray up for what will be an altogether different examination of his endurance and skills on Friday or eat into his self-belief. The former would seem more likely.
