Wimbledon 2012 Results: Analyzing How Roger Federer and Andy Murray Made Final

Roger Federer and Andy Murray will meet in the Wimbledon championship match on Sunday. Federer will be looking for his record-tying seventh title at the All England Club and 17th Grand Slam title overall. Murray, on the other hand, is still seeking his first.

Both elite players have won six matches to reach the final. Sometimes it's easy to take that journey for granted, especially since the same players have dominated the game over the past few years. But, as Rafael Nadal's exit proved, anything can happen.

Let's take a look at how Federer and Murray reached this point. It's a point that will have a major impact on both of their careers regardless of the result.

Roger Federer

It was clear right away that Federer was on a mission. He hasn't won a major title since the 2010 Australian Open, leading the the predictable questions about the end of an era. The Swiss star wanted to prove that wasn't the case.

Federer crushed Albert Ramos in the first round, dropping just one game in each of the three sets. He followed that up with another easy win over Fabio Fognini, a tough second-round opponent, and it looked like he was on cruise control.

Things got shaky in Round 3 against Julien Benneteau. The veteran Frenchman took the first two sets from Federer, who was making an uncharacteristically high number of unforced errors. The “Maestro” stormed back to win in five, avoiding disaster and the critics.

Federer faced another scare in the next match. A back injury caused the normally durable Swiss to get treatment, and it was obvious his movement wasn't up to his usual standard. It loosened up as the match went on, though, and he survived in four sets.

After a quick elimination of Mikhail Youzhny, Federer played his best match of the tournament against defending champion Novak Djokovic. It was the type of match fans became accustomed to during his peak years, as he smacked winners off both wings and kept the top-ranked player off balance.

It took Federer four sets to move on, but there was never a sense that Djokovic was in control of the match. And just like that, Federer earned his spot in the Final.

Andy Murray

Right off the top, it's important to note Murray didn't face a single lame-duck opponent in the entire tournament. Everybody he faced is capable of winning a big match, making his journey to the final quite the accomplishment.

He started with a straight-sets triumph over former top-10 player Nikolay Davydenko. It was a good matchup for Murray since they both play a similar style, but at this point Murray is just better on the execution side.

Murray then took care of Ivo Karlovic, who has one of the biggest serves on tour, in the second round. While that was a nice win, the more important part of this round came when Nadal was eliminated by Lukas Rosol, opening up the draw for Murray.

Over the next two matches, the Scottish sensation and fan favorite eliminated Marcos Baghdatis—in tennis' version of Beat the Clock—and Marin Cilic. That allowed him to reach the quarterfinals, and the media pressure really started to increase.

If Murray was feeling the heat, he didn't show it. He defeated David Ferrer, who has been playing great tennis over the past two months, in four sets and then took care of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals despite some tense moments.

That sets him up for a golden opportunity on Sunday. He can finally end his drought and get the huge monkey off his back. But he'll have to beat one of the best grass-court players in history to do it.