Wimbledon Tennis 2013: Keys to Andy Murray Upending Novak Djokovic

It wasn't easy, but Andy Murray scratched and clawed his way past Poland's Jerzy Janowicz on Friday to reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year. Things didn't end well for him last year, as he lost to Roger Federer, but he has a chance to atone for that loss on Sunday.

Murray will face another stiff challenge in the form of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star had a battle of his own in the semifinals, as he defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in a five-set marathon to get to this point.

There have been plenty of surprises on the men's side at the All England Club this year, but the top two seeds are ready to duke it out on Centre Court, and Wimbledon officials are certainly excited about it:

Murray finally broke out last season, as he won Olympic gold at All England Club and followed that up by winning the U.S. Open. He has yet to take a Wimbledon title, but here is how he can become the first British man to do so in 77 years.

Feed Off Partisan Crowd

It is no secret that the crowd will be firmly in Murray's corner on Sunday, as no British man has won a Wimbledon singles championship since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray is easily the best British player of the past three-quarters of a century, and he has a chance to do something very special against Djokovic. Murray is fully aware that the fans will be firmly behind him, but that could potentially affect him in two very different ways.

Murray can either embrace the crowd and use it to energize his game, or it could possibly cripple him, as there will be an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders. The latter didn't necessarily happen last year against Federer, but Murray didn't use the support to his advantage. Also, Federer seemed to be unfazed by it all, despite the fact that the All England faithful had always been behind him in the past.

Djokovic is a different breed than Federer as he gets more visibly upset on the court. That means that the crowd could get into his head, whereas it didn't affect Federer. Murray can only worry about how the crowd impacts himself. Murray really seemed to feed off the fans during the fourth set against Janowicz on Friday, so if he displays a similar attitude on Sunday, he will be in excellent shape.

Continue to Serve With Confidence

The big concern for Murray heading into his semifinal clash with Janowicz was the difference between their serves.

Murray has power, but that isn't exactly the hallmark of his game. Janowicz, on the other hand, routinely blows his opponents away with his monster serve. Things didn't go the way that most expected, though, as Murray had 20 aces to Janowicz's nine, and he broke Janowicz five times whereas Janowicz earned just a single break.

It was accepted that Murray was better than Janowicz in pretty much all other areas, but Murray took his serve to the next level. That will be key against Djokovic as Del Potro's serve kept him on his toes all match long in the semifinals. Although Djokovic had 22 aces to Del Potro's four, he only broke Del Potro two times over the course of a long and arduous five-set encounter.

If their semifinal matches are any indication, it may only take a couple breaks to make the difference in the match.

That is why Murray must be on point when he is serving against Djokovic. Janowicz unquestionably gave Murray trouble and pushed him to the limit, but the Brit's serve was so good that he was able to win in five sets and avert possible disaster. Sunday's final could easily come down to who serves better.

Take Advantage of Extra Rest

Murray technically played more recently than Djokovic, as he and Janowicz went on second on Friday, but Murray should be the fresher player.

Djokovic had a chance to close Del Potro out in four sets, but he allowed things to get away from him. Even though Nole ultimately righted the ship and took care of the big Argentinian in five sets, he may ultimately pay for it, as he and Del Potro played the longest semifinal in Wimbledon history.

Murray's match was no walk in the park, as it went four sets, but he didn't have to expend quite as much energy as Djokovic did. It's true that Murray went five sets against Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals, but that is pretty well behind him at this point.

Djokovic is an incredible athlete, so he should be able to bounce back, but Murray is on the same level, and he is bound to have a bit more energy than his opponent.

Based on the way things have gone for Djokovic against other top-tier players as of late, it's pretty safe to assume that this one will go five sets. If it only lasts three or four, Djokovic's stamina shouldn't be an issue, but he might start to feel it in the fifth. If that is the case, Murray absolutely must extend points and aim to tire Djokovic out as he will have the advantage from a physical standpoint.

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