Well well well the first grand slam of the tennis is just about to draw to a close as today we saw the last of the men's semi finals played out in front of a jam packed crowd on Rod Laver arena, so let's not waste anymore time and get talking about it!
As well all know the match was between Roger Federer, former four time champion, and Andy Murray, the former two time finalist, so to say it was the most anticipated match up of the tournament was an understatement, and the match had alot to live up to. And thankfully it did just that as Roger and Andy from the get go played some explosive tennis in front of the full capacity Rod Laver arena crowd. And it was Andy that got off to the stronger start as he broke Federer early on in the 1st to seal the deal. In the 2nd set Andy continued to boss the points against Federer, but he managed to hang in and pushed the set to a tiebreaker, and with his imperious record in breakers, it was Federer came out on top and levelled the match at a set all. In the 3rd set, Andy raised his game once more as he broke Fed to soon go on and take a 2 sets to one lead, which in a major saw him break new ground alone there.
In the 4th set it was Federer who got the better start as he broke Andy to go 4-1 up, but Andy fought back and broke back and soon things got back on serve, and they played a scrappy, yet very high quality 4th set. Andy also had his chance to serve out for the match at 6-5 in the 4th, however Roger was not done yet and he used his skills to break back once again and push the set into another breaker, which he dominated to level the match and it went to a decider. In the 5th, despite Federer having the momentum going into it, it was Andy that rose to the occassion as he raised his game and broke Federer twice, which saw Federer struggle on his last service game, as he mis-timed a forehand, Andy secured his first ever win over his old rival in a grand slam, after a four hour epic, with the scoreline of 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.
This match promised much and much to everyone's delight it certainly delivered, and its easily the best match Roger and Andy have ever played in a grand slam to date. This time of course we saw a new Andy Murray, who was no longer standing passively, trading from the back of the court and waiting for Federer to make mistakes, this time he made it all happen, as he took it on and stuck it to Rog in a way we have not seen before. Andy's match with Roger at Wimbledon was an indicator of course to what he was capable of producing against the Swiss maestro, but here he finally did it and pulled off what has to be one of the most significant victories in his career. Of course it had to be said that Andy had the superior fitness of the two of them on court, and its not that Federer couldn't keep up, far from it in fact. However physically after his match with Tsonga, Federer was struggling with his back, and apparently he had to get into a hot bath to sooth his back for an hour or so before doing the press conference for that match (and we also saw him wear a vest underneath his t-shirt for added support) so it does show that age is starting to catch up with him.
Regardless of that Roger will no doubt make a comeback at some point in the majors, as I'm sure he has one more in him somewhere (although perhaps next time Roger you should skip the pink shoe laces!). But for me while Djokovic's match with Stan Wawrinka was a real epic and a great match, this one for me was the most entertaining match of the tournament, along side Federer's match with Tsonga. And it makes you hope that Andy and Roger will continue to play more high quality matches like this in future grand slams, as both men have great variety, which it has to be said is something that Djokovic is lacking in a little bit by comparison. But when these two get together and play their best it makes for scintillating viewing, and I hope Andy and Rog's next clash is a great one.
As for Andy well he really is maturing as a player, as he no longer goes on court and berates himself (well he does a bit now and then, but not as much!) and looks up at his box for help, he now looks more sharp and focused than ever before. It also shows just how well his partnership with Ivan Lendl has panned out as well, as the iron man really has helped Andy with the mental side of the game, and he proved that last year with Andy's Olympic gold and US Open wins. And here today he did the same as when Federer levelled the match at 2 sets all, it would have been easy for Andy to have gone away from the match, to let Fed take over, just like Tsonga did in their quarter final match, but it didn't happen this time with Andy. And with this win, Andy has really started emerge as a real force in the men's game, as he has proven he has got what it takes to not only stay with the best, but to also beat them as well in the biggest matches on the biggest events.
So this sets up a dream final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, and while Andy is ranked No.3 just now, I really think he is the world no.2, as there is no doubt that he and Novak are the two best players in the world just now. And I'm sure their final on Sunday will be (hopefully!) another epic clash and they will both test each other to the mental and physical limit in what is sure to be a marathon match, if their 2012 semi final is anything to go by then it will be just that, and then some.
And here is the 64 million dollar question, who is going to win the title??????? Well its not an easy one to answer as I think it will be a really tightly contested match. On one hand Nole will be the fresher of the two having had two full days rest between the final, and also having spent so little time on court after having demolished David Ferrer in the semis. But on the other hand, while Andy has just finished an intense 4 hour match against Roger, this was his only big test in the tournament so far, as prior to this match he had not spent more than two hours on court per match, so perhaps in terms of time spent on court it will pretty much have been evened out (give or take an hour). But all that aside I really think this is going to be really close to call and it might just come down to a few points here and there, that might make all the difference.
So going by his record so far in Melbourne, I would have to say that Nole would be the favourite to win it on Sunday, and I think he might just edge it. On the other hand however if there is one man that can beat Djokovic in any tournament on any surface, then its Andy Murray, and given the fact he has already beaten Nole in a major final last year in New York, he knows what it takes to win and mentally and physically he can last with Novak, so I won't say that Andy hasn't got a chance, as he definitely does have one here. But overall I think Novak will just have that slight advantage over Andy to clinch it, but you never know, we will just have to wait and see. However it would be terrific if Andy could win on Sunday, and so far he has shown tremendous mental resiliance throughout these two weeks and especially today, which proves he does have what it takes to win another major, and he might just do it. But time will tell all.
And even if Andy doesn't win another major this weekend, then he has proven beyond a doubt he will win more than one in the future, and I would still pick him as my favourite to win Wimbledon this year. And let's face it, he is bound to win more grand slams as you don't reach six grand slam finals by accident, Andy is more than good enough to back up his first with a few more, and no doubt he will.
Right so that's it for now, the men's final is set and promises to be a great one, and tomorrow we have the ladies final, which is between Victoria Azarenka and Li Na. How do I see that one going???? Again its hard to say, and it will in part depend on Vika's fitness given the concerns over her breathing and her medical timeouts from the other day. So in terms of fitness and overall form I would have to say Li Na would be my favourite to win the title, and I know for a fact the Aussies would just love that! (as they aren't so keen on Vika!).
Anyway that's all for now, I will report back once we know the identity of the winner of the ladies singles final tomorrow.
Till then bye for now!
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