Djokovic, Murray need to prolong careers
The last four in the men’s side of the tournament is completely different from what was shaping up on the middle weekend. An upset and some injuries have resulted in three less fancied men joining the king in the last four.
That said, I can say that only 10 players in current world tennis can be considered grasscourt specialists, and four of them are in the fray.
The king: That’s the only way to describe the regal manner in which Roger Federer has dismissed all his opponents. I had predicted that he was the firm favourite to win the tournament and all I can do is emphasise that. He was in sublime touch against Milos Raonic on Wednesday. He was returning with such speed that Raonic was unable to get to the net in time and when he stayed on the baseline, Federer was achieving incredible angles on his forehand. It was complete mastery of the court from the seven-time champion as he cruised into the last four.
He is now against Thomas Berdych, who came through after an injured Novak Djokovic had to retire from his match. Berdych has always done well here and looks in very good form at Wimbledon after a very patchy start to the year. He has his task cut out against Federer, though, but he has beaten the Swiss maestro in the past and knows he can do it again. It’s important for him to enjoy the fact that he has nothing to lose and, yes, a good start would help.
Sam Querrey made headlines when he defeated Djokovic last year. This time he has done it again by breaking British hearts while getting past Andy Murray. The latter, too, was not in any condition to play, and it was terrible to see him hobble off. Both Murray and Djokovic are 30 years old and should look at the longer run rather than putting their careers and records on the line. Coming into a Grand Slam with an injury is never a good idea.
Though a beneficiary of Murray’s injury, Querrey is a natural on grass and I think he will test Marin Cilic in the semifinals. He just needs to get that incredible serve going and also work on his recovery after the Murray match. Cilic will be pleased with his win against Gilles Muller. My predictions? It’s hard to dismiss any of these grasscourt specialists. But unless Berdych plays out of his skin, he won’t be able to get past Federer. As for the Querrey-Cilic match, it’s just too close to call.