By the end of this weekend, Andy Murray hopes to become the first Briton to win Wimbledon since 1936 and Roger Federer hopes to win his record breaking 15th grand slam title. They're expected to meet in the finals but Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas have other plans.
(2) Roger Federer vs. (24) Tommy Haas: Roger Federer will be coming into tomorrow's semifinal match with a 9-2 overall edge over Tommy Haas. The most recent victory came in Paris where Federer rallied back from two sets down in the round of 16. After his victory in Paris, Federer has been relaxed and confident and has played almost flawless tennis throughout the tournament. Haas has had a great month and a half. He played well in Paris where he should have beaten Federer and then won the grass court tune up in Halle. Along the way, Haas has beaten some of the top players in the world (Djokovic twice and Cilic). However, despite the fact that Haas has been playing really well, it will take a Rafael Nadal-esque performance to beat Federer; a performance Haas is simply not capable of producing. My prediction, Federer in three.
(3) Andy Murray vs. (6) Andy Roddick: Andy Murary will be coming into tomorrow's match with a 6-2 overall record against Andy Roddick. Murray is coming into the match with the pressure of the entire country on his shoulders but he has handled it well and has looked sharp throughout the tournament. Last year, Murray began his climb to the upper echelon of tennis players with a quarterfinal appearance in Wimbledon. This year, he will hope to make history and become the first Briton to win Wimbledon since 1936. Andy Roddick has had a solid 2009. A semifinal appearance in Australia, a career best 4th round appearance in Paris, and another semifinal appearance in Wimbledon. Roddick is coming off an epic 5 set win over Lleyton Hewitt but I don't expect fatigue to be a factor at all. The key to the match will be how effective Andy Murray will be in returning Roddick's serve. In the quarterfinals, Roddick hit a career best 42 aces and in order for Murray to get through, he will have to get as many balls back into play as possible. Unfortunately for Roddick, getting the ball in play is what Andy Murray does best. This is going to be a great match and the crowd will be absolutely electric. My prediction, Murray in five.
picture courtesy of hasse.us
picture courtesy of hasse.us
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