Andy Murray will face Milos Raonic in the 2016 Wimbledon final after recording a 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory over Tomas Berdych in Friday’s second semi-final on Centre Court. In the fourth, Raonic battled hard take the set 7-5 before wrapping up a 3-2 win by taking the fifth 6-3, to register his name as the first Canadian ever to reach a Grand Slam tennis final. A win over the 17-time Grand slam victor would also put the Canadian into a grand slam final for the first time in his career.
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It pains me to say it, but this is yet another chance to win one last grand slam title that has slipped through his fingers – and he’s not going to get many more.
“I hope to be back on Centre Court, to be very clear for you”, said Federer, whose lengthy wave to all parts of the arena prompted speculation that it was indeed goodbye.
But his power game was clinically defused by Murray – so much so that the one hour 58 minute match was mostly played in a muted atmosphere compared to the edge-of-the-seat drama earlier when Wimbledon favourite Federer was bundled out by Raonic.
“I think it’s beneficial having him there”, Murray said of Lendl, an eight-time Grand Slam victor. “The consistency of his performances over the last few months has been incredible and I think he’s ready to win another Wimbledon title”.
“I also hope that over the next few months, and at the end of the year when I get time to train and work on things away from the court, is when I’ll start to really make bigger gains in my game with him”.
Andy Murray has said that he is preparing for something different as he aims to win a second Wimbledon crown on Sunday.
“He sort of implemented it in the sense of from how he’s seen me play”. On Sunday, Murray will get a reprieve from facing Djokovic as he meets Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon final. I think it was a good two weeks [that] definitely show me that’s the way to do it, that’s the way to go.
That fearsome resilience under extreme pressure was evident as he came from behind to beat seven-time Wimbledon champ Federer. “John [McEnroe] told me to go out there and leave it all out there, and that’s what made the biggest difference”. The 25-year-old Raonic had 23 aces among his 75 winners in handing Federer, always a media darling in England, his first loss in 11 semifinal matches at Wimbledon.
“I think it can help”, Murray said.
In Murray’s previous Wimbledon finals, he lost to Federer in 2012 and beat Novak Djokovic a year later.
The Scot knew he would have to try to control the baseline to quell the power of his opponent and he did a better job of that in the eighth game, earning his reward with another break.
“I’m sure she won’t be interested but it gives me a little bit of extra motivation to keep going when I get a bit older”.
Lendl said Sunday’s final was not about him and McEnroe: “I understand it does (add spice) for everyone else but me”. I was struggling through many parts of the match. I like Murray in four sets, which is priced at +240 on tennis odds.
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“It was a very tough match”, Murray said of the Queen’s match with Raonic.
