Women countrywide will have been rather sick of the noises emanating from the newly installed 3D TV set yesterday afternoon. “Why do we have to get a new TV set in the heat of the summer,” she cried. The man of the house was too engrossed in the grunt-fest to care much. Today gives the women of the house the chance to get their own back.
Men’s semi-final day has an unfamiliar look with six-time champion Roger Federer nowhere to be seen. That means the identity of the winner will be cut from a new cloth though right? You couldn’t be further from the truth.
Spanish world number one Rafael Nadal is the man to beat and the Spaniard faces the one player that anyone would relish coming up against at this stage. Seven times a Grand Slam semi finalist, three times now at Wimbledon, Andy Murray is British tennis’ greatest hope. The wish of the almost 10 million that will tune in to watch the Scot is that he can end the some 75 years of waiting for a men’s singles champion from these shores.
It’s the 11th time that a Brit has reached this stage in the past 50 years and that distinction has befallen Murray on three occasions. It’s not simply a question of can he beat Nadal. The Scot has done so on four occasions, including a semi at the US Open. It’s more a question of whether he can do so under the expectant glare of the watching nation.
Prevailing may only be half the story. Awaiting him in the final could be a man that has lost once in 2011. Step up Novak Djokovic.
Seeded second, the Serbian should, by seeding, take his place in the final alongside Nadal. They are one and two after all. Overcoming Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is no easy task though. France’s beast overcame Federer in five sets after being two sets down. He’s a favorite with the Wimbledon crowd thanks to his over-exuberant celebrations and those watching on centre court will be baying for him to win.
As we said earlier though – one loss all year speaks for itself. Djokovic would become the first-ever Serbian man to win Wimbledon and only the second from the former Yugoslavia after Goran Ivanisevic.
