TENNIS WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIP:ANDY MURRAY didn't freeze, didn't choke. He wasn't overwhelmed by expectations or paralysed by national hopes. He didn't play a nervous game of caution. He didn't shrink or buckle under the pressure of Fred Perry's ghost, which must haunt the aisles and passageways of Centre Court for another year.
But Murray was outclassed. He was, in the end, trimmed by the world number one Rafael Nadal.
“When I play against him I always see the match as very, very difficult,” said Nadal. “To beat Andy you have to play your best tennis.”
And so he did, at times to a stunning level to win 6-4, 7-6, 6-4.
Tomas Berdych who would have been watching from his hotel room will arrive in his first Grand Slam final with the scalps of the world number two Roger Federer and now also Novak Djokovic the number three seed, who he beat in straight sets.
Transformed this season, Berdych is the first Czech player since Ivan Lendl lost to Pat Cash in the 1987 final to appear on Centre Court on the final day. He will face a more inflated, strutting Nadal now rising to his best.
The abject look on Murray’s face at the end of the match after he pushed a forehand volley too long on match point told a story of struggle and defeat and afterwards his baritone voice was rumbling and more cut with disappointment than ever. It wasn’t that the Scot didn’t have chances against the 2008 champion, simply he was unable to take them.
“I’m annoyed I lost this match,” said Murray. “I’m not coming here feeling that I played terrible. You know I didn’t play a bad match at all. He played great and that was the difference.”
Murray lost the first set 6-4 when Nadal earned the only break point in the ninth game for 4-5. The number two seed held serve for the set and in just two minutes where Murray lost a fraction of his edge the match had turned marginally Nadal’s way.
Too often Murray was putting balls back into the Nadal kill zone and although the Scot went about his work with unfussy efficiency and some impressive service games, Nadal handled it and frequently caught Murray reaching with the whipped, stinging forehand.
Two break points fell to Murray in the second set. But he could not convert and inevitably it moved to a tie-break. Pickings were slim, although, when Nadal double faulted for set point, Murray again declined to take advantage. Nadal in a few points turned it around and claimed the tea-break and the set on a kick off the net cord as Murray rushed the net. There was no way back and while Murray broke the Spaniard in the first game of the third set, Nadal made the running, breaking Murray’ serve twice for the match.
“Disappointed,” said Murray. “I had chances in all of the sets. I haven’t seen the stats but I’d guess it was a difference of five or six points in the match. Yeah, he just played better than me. There’s a lot of pressure playing here.
“It doesn’t affect the outcome of the matches. It’s not a valid excuse to make. But it’s more disappointing than other Grand Slams because this is the biggest one of the year for me. Yeah, it’s tough.”
Whether Sunday’s final can live up to the last two classic servings involving Federer and Nadal in 2008, and Federer and Andy Roddick last year, may hinge on how Berdych controls his nerves in the biggest match of his career.
The 12th seed swept past Djokovic in just two hours, 18 minutes. Although appearing a little confused about what had just happened in the 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 win, there were no complaints from Djokovic. “I congratulate my opponent because he was a better player,” said the Serb. “I wasn’t going for the shots too much. I was kind of waiting for him to make mistakes. I was wrong.”
The turning point arrived in the second set tie-break, which saw Djokovic save four set points only to come up with a feeble double-fault on the fifth. That tie-break featured the best tennis of the match, including a sensational point at 5-6 that had to be replayed after a mistake from a line judge.
Djokovic landed a lob on the base-line after an eye-catching exchange of groundstrokes, only for the ball to be called long. The point had to be replayed, after an over-rule from Hawk-Eye, and though Djokovic still won it, he couldn’t claim the mini-break on Berdych’s powerful serve that would have allowed him to level the match at one set all. Instead, Berdych tightened his control, and another double fault from Djokovic gave him the chance to serve for the match at 5-3 in the third. He made no mistake.
Coming off the court Nadal gave a brief interview and said that Murray would win a Grand Slam and win one soon. Those words were put to Murray. His head didn’t even rise from the table.
“It’s obviously nice to hear,” he grumbled. “Doesn’t make losing one any easier.”
