Sunday 8 July 2012

Murray's Moment or Federer's History?

76 years of hurt about to be broken? The best final since Fedal in 2008? Federer chasing history? 


Since Roger Federer and Andy Murray made it through their respective semi's on Friday, much has been made of the pressure on both men to lift the treasure trophy this Sunday afternoon.
Federer at 30, and having not won a grand slam title in over 2 years, faces perhaps the toughest task of his career. On the line, a return to the number one ranking and a record advancing 17th grand slam prize pushing him towards Sampras' record of weeks atop the world rankings. A win for Roger also secures him the top section of the draw for the Olympic Games, his main priority for the 2012 season, importantly meaning to win that title he will feasibly only have to play ONE of Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal to win that gold medal.


Meanwhile, Murray carries British hopes on his shoulders. No stranger to grand slam finals, (he's contested another 3 thus far) Murray has yet to play a final in his home country on the famous Centre Court, carrying pressure like no other match in his career to date. The 25 year old Murray is seen by many as being long overdue a major prize, and the ageing Federer would seem to be his best chance to date, of reaching the pinnacle of the sport for the very first time. Murray's 8-7 record against the Swiss also bodes well for the Scot's chances in the match, as he knows that he can beat Federer if he plays to his best level.


The worry for Murray and his fans today is that he realises where he is, what he's doing, and the history he could make. After all, 2 of Murray's 3 previous major losses came against the mighty Federer, who importantly knows how to get it done in major finals on centre court, and against the player he faces today in Murray.


In terms of match up, as the head to head shows, the two are very evenly matched, with Federer's explosive attacking game often being negated by Murray's fierce counterpunching, whilst other times Murray is too defensive for the dynamic all court style of the former 6 time winner at SW19. 
On grass, (a surface they've never met on before) both will look to vary their game mixing their strike backhands with a few deft slices, and both will look to play some of their points up at the net, especially Federer who will look to play first strike tennis and not enter into too many long rallies with the consistent Scot.
Whilst the grass is by no means as quick as it was back in the 90's, it still favours the more attacking style of Federer, and should he be able to execute by keeping his errors down, i get the feeling that Murray will have to step out of his comfort zone to deal with Roger's game today.


Finally, nerves must come into the equation of this match not just for Murray, but for Federer as well. The history on the line for both men means that it will be difficult for both men to play their best tennis, but i thought that before Fedal in 2008 and we got the best match of all time. Good luck to both men :)



Prediction Federer bts Murray- 6-3, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2










DJT

Friday 6 July 2012

Wimbledon Men's Semi's Preview

As the 2012 Wimbledon championhsips reach their conclusion, we see three familiar faces in the last 4, and one grass court supremo who proved himself on the surface by reaching the same stage here last year. Federer, Djokovic and Murray are no strangers to the semi's here with over 12 between the three, whilst Tsonga's exploits on grass in the last couple of years suggest that we could be in for the most exciting semi-finals ever.


Neither match up's will pose many new questions to the players. Federer and Djokovic have faced off a mammoth 27 times already, whilst Tsonga and Murray have met 6 times, importantly with 2 wins for Murray on the grass, but there are some slight differences that will add some extra spice to today's match up's.


First Semi- Roger Federer (3) vs (1) Novak Djokovic


History and records are on the line once again for Roger Federer in this match up. A win over Djokovic puts his much discussed quest to return to number one in his own hands, giving him the possibility to overtake Sampras for most weeks at the top of the pile and claim another record that strengthens his claim for GOAT.


Another tangible in this match up will be the grass factor. Federer as the former 6 time champion here will fancy his chances in a completely new surface match-up, without forgetting that Djokovic won here last year, and is by no means a rookie on the surface.
In terms of how the surface might affect the match up, the lower bounce on grass will reward the more creative side of Federer's game. No doubt he'll hope to bring Djokovic in with low slices and pass him at the net, a tactic he used to great effect earlier in his rivalry with the young Serb. For Djokovic, he'll be best served to be consistent from the baseline and drag Federer into the longer rallies which will benefit his punishing game and draw Federer into overhitting. 


Talent wise, both are two of the best players of all time, so for sure the match will be decided by one or two moments. Djokovic goes in favourite due to his recent grand slam head to head with Roger, and for the ageing Federer to win you would think he needs a good start and preferably the first set to build a head of steam.


The final wildcard in Federer's favour is the glorious British summer. The forecast for today is for the roof to be closed, rendering the match an indoor match, bringing into play Federer's sublime indoor career record that includes over 20 titles. Indoor's the consistent conditions allow Federer greater margin and more comfort on his backhand which has been prone to shanks in windy conditions. 


Prediction: Djokovic in five sets. 3-6, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2, 7-5


Second Semi- Andy Murray (4) vs (5) Jo- Wilfried- Tsonga


Home favourite Andy Murray see's his best chance to reach a final since 2009, as he faces the charismatic Frenchman Jo- Tsonga, a fellow semi-finalist yet to make a final on the lawns on SW19. \


The British hopeful owns a 5-1 positive h2h record against Tsonga with 2 of his wins coming on grass, at Wimbledon in the quarters in 2010, and in last year's Queens Club final. Undoubtedly however the Tsonga of 2012 is a whole new prospect. His French Open quarter final performance on considerably his worst surface shows just what good form he is in, even taking Djokovic the distance with a combination of big serves and blistering forehands, tactics further rewarded on the grass courts.
His form over the fortnight has shown no signs of dipping from the Roland Garros days, with especially his serve firing on all cylinders, going unbroken in his first four matches.  


Murray's draw saw many worrying that he might not even make the second week, but a combination of awesome returning and tenacious defense has seen him fight his way past the likes of Davydenko, Karlovic, Baghdatis, Cilic and Ferrer, by far the most impressive route of the four semi-finalists. This match practice should stand him in good stead, particularly to deal with the powerful serve and main weapon of the frenchman. 


A potential indoor match probably see's this match becoming a throwback serve fest to the days of Sampras and Ivanisevic. The stabilised conditions have favoured Murray in his matches, but both he and Tsonga will be serving bombs, and i fancy the match includes a couple of tiebreaks in a four set thriller.


Prediction: Murray in five sets. 6-7, 6-4,  6-4, 2-6, 7-9 




DJT