Andy Murray insists an “embarrassing” defeat to Roger Federer in their last meeting will have no bearing on his bid to reach a third Wimbledon final
Andy Murray
London: Andy Murray insists an “embarrassing” defeat to Roger Federer in their last meeting will have no bearing on his bid to reach a third Wimbledon final.
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Andy Murray
The 28-year-old Scot must become the first man to beat Federer in a Wimbledon semi-final today, to keep his bid for a second title on track.
Federer has won all nine of his previous semi-finals in the grass-court Grand Slam and will be eyeing another final after beating Gilles Simon 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to extend his latest bid for a record eighth Wimbledon crown.
Murray swept past Vasek Pospisil, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Murray took just one game off 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer in the ATP World Tour Finals late last year, but refuses to accept that will colour the pair’s Last Four Wimbledon tussle.
Embarrassing scoreline
Federer does not expect the 6-0, 6-1 triumph over a “cooked” Murray in November to play any part today either, claiming Britain’s double Grand Slam winner is “in full flight now”. “It was obviously embarrassing, the scoreline,” said Murray of that November defeat to Federer.
“I was actually quite calm after that match. A lot of people in my team, people around me, were very, very worried by that match. I looked at the weeks before then, the matches also that I played at the O2, the matches I played against Novak (Djokovic) over that period as well, and said, ‘Where am I going wrong against the top guys and what is it that I need to do to get back to that level competing with them?’.
“I dealt with it that way and tried to be rational about it. I came back and played some extremely good tennis at the beginning of the year in Australia. It was a tough loss for sure.”
Federer saw off Murray to claim the 2012 Wimbledon title, before the Scot was a resounding winner against his Swiss rival to claim Olympic gold at the All England Club later that summer.
That London 2012 triumph handed Murray the impetus and mental strength to go on and land the US Open later in the summer and the Wimbledon title in July 2013, but now he believes his history with Federer will not affect today’s tussle. “Previous matches kind of go out the window on the day,” said Murray. You can learn things from those matches, maybe some tactical things. But I don’t think those matches in the past will have too much bearing on the outcome on Friday.”
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