Murray agreed. “That's definitely the best he served against me,” the third seed said.
It
wasn’t just the serve that was clicking for Federer. It was everything.
All elements of his game worked in harmony and contributed to the
relentless pressure Murray faced on Centre Court. His forehand was
venomous. He cracked his backhand sweetly. He pounced on anything short.
His movement was cat-like. He expertly varied his play, slicing and
dicing to chop up the rhythm of rallies.
And then there was his
composure. Federer has always possessed a cool demeanour, but he was
completely serene. Many a player would have been frustrated when five
set points came and went - that’s exactly what happened in the 10th game
of the second set, when Murray survived a thrilling game to level the
scores at 5-5. Yet Federer was unperturbed. He played a forehand winner
to nudge ahead 6-5 and broke serve in the following game, nabbing a
two-set lead with a winning volley.
That vaunted serve helped keep Federer’s nose in front throughout the
third set; he exceeded 80 per cent for both first serves landed and
first-serve points won. Leading 5-4, the Swiss then dazzled the crowd
with a sublime running backhand passing shot to bring up a 0-30 lead. He
broke serve a few points later to seal victory in a touch over two
hours.
“If I hit a lob, he's going to smash it. If I chip it, he's going to
be too close to the net and just close. The only chance was to flick
it,” Federer said of that backhand. “When the confidence is there, you
have a clear mind, that's sometimes the stuff you can come up with. It's
awesome if it happens on Centre Court at Wimbledon in a situation like
that, no doubt about it.”
That shot - which typified his entire
semi-final performance - sent him through to an incredible 10th final at
the All England Club, an Open era record. A month away from his 34th
birthday, he is also the oldest Wimbledon men’s finalist since Ken
Rosewall in 1974.
It is incredible to think that the Swiss has maintained such an
impressive level for the past 12 years. The owner of almost every
significant trophy and major accolade in tennis, his ability to remain
so motivated at this stage of his career is unusual in the sport.
“At the end of the day, I enjoy it. I work hard in the practice. In a
match like this, I can have a great performance. And clearly it's an
amazing feeling when you come back from the match and everybody's so
happy for you,” Federer said.
“But knowing that it's just a
semi-final match, it's obviously a huge one, a big one against Andy
here, I need to keep it up for one more match to really make it the
perfect couple of weeks.”
The final match that looms for Federer is one against top seed and world No.1 Novak Djokovic.
It is a rematch of the 2014 decider, one that Djokovic won 6-4 in the
fifth, a classic finale that extended almost four hours and brought
Federer to tears at the trophy presentation.
Everything about the final points to a blockbuster. It features the
top two seeds and the world’s top two players, the two competitors in
the best form, facing off in the biggest match of the world’s most
prestigious tennis tournament.
“I
don't really think about the match we played against each other last
year. I just remember it was unbelievably thrilling. The crowd really
got into it,” Federer said. “I'm just happy personally for myself to be
back in a final. Whoever that's going to be against, it's always a big
occasion. That it’s Novak, the world No. 1, it obviously adds something
extra.”
Players often say the better the opponent, the better the
level it helps them achieve. Vintage Federer could well persist on
Sunday.
Date: 10th July 2015, Source: Wimbledon
