Andy Murray is back into the Wimbledon final for a second straight year. In 2012 Murray met Roger Federer. This time it will be Novak Djokovic. And the Brit will once again have the task of erasing now a 77 year drought since Fred Perry became the last Englishman to win Wimbledon back in 1936.
Murray advanced this evening after rallying to beat 22-year-old Jerzy Janowicz 67, 64, 64, 63 in the semifinals.
“I’m obviously delighted with that,” said Murray who hit 20 aces. “It was a tough match today, completely different to any matches I’ve played so far. He’s very talented, very unpredictable. He hit huge serves out there and gave me very little rhythm. I’m very glad to get it done.”
Murray dropped the opening set to the big-serving Janowicz who was the first Polish man to make a Grand Slam semi. Murray bounced back in the second and when the Pole began to get upset that the roof wasn’t being close to start the third, it looked like Murray would run away with the match.
Janowicz brushed aside the controversy to storm out to a 4-1 third set lead, but then fell apart. Murray won the final five games to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Yet once again the roof issue returned. Just past 8:30 local time referee Andrew Jarrett came out to close the roof, which didn’t please Murray who now had the momentum.
But to the delight of Janowicz who was returning from a bathroom break, the roof was closed delaying the match 30 minutes.
The break, though, didn’t disrupt Murray one bit. The World No. 2 breezed to a quick 6-3 set to put him into his seventh career Grand Slam final.
“I just feel Wimbledon is an outdoor event and you should play it outdoors until it is not possible,” Murray said of roof closure. “Anybody would be angry when you have the momentum with you and it is still light. But once I got back on the court I wasn’t angry and it worked out OK for me in the end.”
Janowicz, who played so well early on, looked tired by the end of the match.
“I’m a little bit disappointed,” said Janowicz. “Today I didn’t play my best tennis. I think this was my second worst match during this tournament. It’s such a shame I didn’t play my best tennis today. I was struggling a little bit with my serve. But I’m still deep down really happy. This was my first semi-final in a Grand Slam, so tomorrow I’m going to be okay.”
Murray will now take a 7-11 record against Djokovic into the final. The Serb, who earlier edged Juan Martin Del Potro in a five set thriller, has beaten Murray in three of four in Grand Slam play.
The two have never played at Wimbledon and Murray did beat Djokovic 7-5, 7-5 at the London Olympic semifinals last summer which were played at Wimbledon.
“It will be a tough match,” said Murray. “He and Del Potro played an incredible match. Some of the stuff they were playing… great rallies. Novak is playing very well. We’ve only played once on grass before, at the Olympics last year. I’ll take that thought into my head on Sunday.”
Despite his successes and his US Open title, Murray remains guarded of his state of mind come Sunday.
“I learned a lot from last year’s Wimbledon, and though I lost I didn’t have any regrets as such,” Murray said. “I will probably be in a better place mentally because I have been there before and I have won a Grand Slam. I would hope I would be a bit calmer but I might wake up on Sunday and be more nervous than ever before. But I wouldn’t expect to be.”
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