Murray was in cruise control, but the same could have been said on Wednesday, when he led Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by two sets before eventually coming through in five.
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Berdych, whose slow start suggested he was feeling the effects of close to 11-and-a-half hours on court in his four previous matches, threatened to fritter away a 5-1 lead in the first-set tiebreak before a deep approach shot set him up for a clean forehand victor. However, when Murray asked Lendl to return to his entourage this summer, he agreed.
“At the start of the fifth set, Murray came out with some intense, positive energy, fired himself up and used the crowd, which reached a crescendo”.
Three huge serves kept Federer alive – just – and he then produced the kind of form, and outrageous shots, that has made him the most successful man in tennis by stealing the tie-break 11-9. “I played well against him the last couple of years”, said the Scot.
“I think it can give you a bit of confidence”. “If you’re in that position in the next couple of matches, you know you’ve been there”.
“In long matches, tough matches, even if it’s half a percent difference, it’s good”.
Soares joined in the fun last month when he tweeted: “Feel like I’m playing better already because Lendl is back with Andy, that’s Jamie’s brother, that is my partner”.
Whether Berdych is as happy to have a shot at Murray remains to be seen as the Czech 10th seed, Wimbledon runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2010, has not beaten the 2013 champion for nearly three years.
All British tennis fans who can’t get into centre court for Andy Murray, 29, against Tomas Berdych, 30, will be gathering on Murray Mound for this one. “Since the back surgery I have been playing more offensive tennis with variety and making it harder for him”.
Fed will have his work cut out for him – and with play on Centre Court beginning at 1pm, it’s unlikely Murray and Berdych will be warming up anytime before 4:30pm. “He just comes up with his creative game and tries to break the rhythm of the big guys”.
“But there’s a lot of people have helped get me into this situation”.
“I’ll have to have a look and see some of his matches to get an idea of maybe some of the things he does differently on the grass courts, what his strengths are, maybe some of the things he struggles with a bit”.
Berdych was pushed to five sets by compatriot Jiri Vesely in his last-16 match at Wimbledon, which spanned two days and saw him involved in a dispute with an umpire over fading light.
Along with partner Bruno Soares, the number three seeds lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 10-8 to Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
Murray has to cope, of course, not just with his own expectations but the hopes of Britain, which have been sky high since the elimination of Novak Djokovic.
In the era of super-coaches, Raonic will be able to count on not one, but two grand slam champions as he looks to upend Federer in a grand slam tournament for the first time.
John McEnroe, three-time Wimbledon champion: “No question that Murray has played better than anyone else in this tournament”.
Murray answered: “It’s not that bad, is it?”
Murray beat Berdych in the last four of the 2012 US Open as he went on to claim his maiden Grand Slam title, but it was their semi-final meeting at the 2015 Australian Open that provoked some ill-feeling between the two camps. But Murray still has to beat Berdych to have a chance at a second Wimbledon title on Sunday. Nick Kyrgios, the number 15 seed, posed Murray his biggest test yet in an eagerly anticipated fourth round clash, though he had beaten the unpredictable…
Speaking after the match, Murray told the BBC he was “very happy” and that it had been a “good match”.
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Tsonga, 31, came out firing in the first set.
