Andy Murray Eliminates Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to Advance to Wimbledon 2012 Final

Andy Murray carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders at Wimbledon every year, but he has always fallen short in his bid to reach the final. That is no longer the case, however, as Murray outlasted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5) for the right to take on six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.

Murray is Scottish, but he competes for Great Britain and has long been considered England's best hope for a Grand Slam victory, particularly at Wimbledon. No British player had reached the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938, but Murray broke that 74-year drought and will look to become the first British winner at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray has reached three Grand Slam finals over the course of his career, but he has come up short each time. If things are going to be different this time, Murray will have to overcome perhaps the biggest challenge of his career.

Federer defeated Novak Djokovic earlier on Friday, and he will look to cement his status as the greatest grass-court player of all time.

Perhaps Murray will have something to say about that, as the crowd at the All England Club is sure to be very much on his side. Wimbledon-goers certainly love Federer as well, due to all of the success that he has had in the tournament over the course of his career, but most hope that it will be Murray's time on Sunday.

It will be interesting to see how Murray handles the pressure, as he can either use the fan support as fuel to thrive or crumble under the burden of expectations bestowed upon him. Federer figures to be a heavy favorite to win his seventh Wimbledon title, but Murray may be playing the best tennis of his career, and he will be going for history in his own right.

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