Murray stands on brink of SW19 glory
But Roddick blocks his path to final
Published:
ANDY Murray was set to become the first British man to reach a Wimbledon final since before the Second World War this afternoon with his opponent insisting it will be an occasion to savour.
Not since Henry ‘Bunny’ Austin was defeated in straight sets by America’s Don Budge in 1938 has a home player in the men’s singles gone the distance in SW19.
And not since Fred Perry two years earlier has a Briton won the men’s title.
Murray again has been given the late slot favoured by television on Centre Court when he will hope to ride a fevered wave of support as he attempts to go one step further than Tim Henman achieved in four losing semi-finals.
Roddick, the top American who is seeded sixth, is under no illusions of what he faces.
“We might be able to count the people for me on one hand,” he said.
“But it will be something to remember. The crowd’s going to be electric. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and one I can certainly appreciate, even if it’s not for me.”
If Murray is to build on his impressive run so far he must tame the fastest serve in tennis. Roddick has served 139 aces this tournament, with his biggest serve to date clocking in at 141mph, albeit 14mph slower than his world record.
It is unlikely to be a match of extended rallies, although Roddick realises that he must be on top of all aspects of his game if he is to live with the shot-making variety of the British No.1.
But he is ready to grind out patient rallies with Murray.
“You’re going to have to do some of it,” admitted Roddick.
“I’m not going to get into a match where we are both trying to poke the ball around on the court. That probably wouldn’t work. But you’re going to have to do it at certain times.”
The pair clearly respect each other and Murray was concentrating on his returns in particular in practice to try to combat Roddick’s most lethal weapon.
“Roddick’s one of the best servers in the game,” said Murray.
“So I’ll obviously have to return very well.
“He’s made two finals and been No.1 in the world and is a grand slam champion so it’s going to be tough.”
Meanwhile, Murray goes into today’s semi-final clash supported by everyone from the Queen to Sir Sean Connery and Sir Cliff Richard.
The 22-year-old Scot appreciates the big names who have offered their encouragement.
And millions will shuffle towards the edge of their seats to see him take on Roddick.
But although he likes the noisy support, Murray has never been a player to seek out popularity.
The world No.3 said he was “not fussed” if British fans still called the Wimbledon grass verge “Henman Hill” rather than “Murray Mound”.
What matters to him are the few people close to him who help maintain his sense of normality.
These include his four-man coaching team, known as Team Murray.
The coaches have helped Murray maintain the sense of normality which he believes is vital in dealing with the pressure of Grand Slam tournaments.
And they have been credited with building both his physical and psychological strength.
The five are often seen playing tennis football together during practise sessions, with the loser forced to do a forfeit.
In the past fortnight, tennis coach Miles Maclagan has been squirted with cold water and forced to kiss Murray’s feet.
Physical conditioner Jez Green has been made to wear a cricket helmet into the players’ lounge and spend a minute with a bin on his head.
And Murray himself took on the role of waiter, clearing plates from the canteen.
Murray’s mother, Judy, offers fierce support during matches as does his girlfriend Kim Sears.
His father, Willie, keeps a lower profile, but has also been on hand to cheer on his son.
Not everyone will be supporting Murray and memories, especially English ones, have proved long lasting.
His comments about supporting “anyone but England” in the football World Cup meant a lot of English fans supported “anyone but Murray”.
Murray has matured and is now much better at handling awkward media pitfalls.
Asked who he would be supporting in the Ashes this year he knew he was in a no-win situation and simply groaned, put his head in his hands and asked for the next question – with a hint of a smile.
