Federer and Haas, Murray and Roddick: The Perfect Wimbledon Semis Script

If the All England Club had commissioned a script that would bring the most compelling strands together in one perfect tapestry, it may have looked like this.

One man aims to take the crown as the greatest man ever to play tennis: Roger Federer needs just one Grand Slam title to seal the deal.

The oldest man in the draw is coming back to the best form of his life from years of injury setbacks: 31-year-old Tommy Haas arrived at Wimbledon with his first ever title on grass, and eager to reach his first ever Grand Slam final.

Another man has come here desperately eager to win a second Grand Slam after six years of drought: Andy Roddick is fitter, faster, and more hungry than ever.

And the fourth man is hoping to become the first British winner of this home trophy in more than 70 years: Andy Murray has even dressed the part, top-to-toe in the style of his forerunner Fred Perry.

He is the confident young pretender, with maturity and experience ranged against him in the form of three proven, popular and hungry combatants.

He will have to beat two of them to lay his hands on that golden cup.

But before decision-time on Sunday, tennis lovers are anticipating two of the most competitive and compelling semi-finals of the year, both full of head-to-head intricacies.

Cheekbones at Dawn

Federer on one side of the net, Haas on the other:They could be brothers.

They certainly chat in German, share fabulous bone-structure and flowing dark locks, and match up in height, weight, and physical proportion.

More than that, they are amongst the few to adhere to the single-handed backhand, and use it to particularly great effect on grass.

It is the similarity in their style, their elegant shot-making, and their speed that will make this, for the tennis purists, a dream encounter.

The fact that Haas came within a couple of points of beating Federer just weeks ago in the French Grand Slam will add tension and intensity. Haas knows he has the beating of Federer if he maintains his best tennis over the long game. He will mix it up, try to break the infamous Federer rhythm, and keep his serving big and accurate.

But Federer has been more confident in the last couple of months than in over a year.

He has the head-to-head advantage. He’s played fewer sets. He is fit, happy, and ambitious. Haas therefore faces a truly daunting prospect, but one he clearly relishes.

This could be the match of the tournament.

Andymonium

Two Andys, and two intense players who can get carried away by the passion of the moment.

Roddick challenges his opponent, the umpire and press. He holds his own with one of sharpest tongues in the business. No fool, no time-waster, and intolerant of mistakes. These are qualities that the British enjoy—a waspish, sarcastic edge backed up by an overwhelming dedication to his sport and a desire to win.

Looking closely at Murray, it’s easy to see similar qualities. He has had to work at the lugubrious, less-easily-taunted approach to his off-court responsibilities. By natural inclination, he too is intolerant of poor judgment and mistakes.

They differ in their style of play, though there is some convergence even there.

Roddick’s huge advantage, his powerful serve, is no longer enough on its own to beat the top ranked players, so he has worked on his ground strokes and his serve-and-volley play to increase his repertoire. He compensates for lack of subtlety with doggedness, speed, and fitness.

Murray, conversely, started with creative hands and a soft touch that could make winners from all parts of the court, but used to lack the endurance and the reliable serve to add weight to his game. He, like Roddick, has worked at those failings and is now reaping the rewards.

The grass may play a part in this contest of big serving and scurrying counter-attack. It will enhance the service speed and emphasise the effect of slice.

That Extra Something: The Home Crowd

The fifth component in these semi-final clashes is the British public, which is riding a wave of enthusiasm for their new-found hero.

Against a different set of players, Murray would have 110 percent support from the home crowd on their home turf.

But the British public has a corner in its heart for each of those ranged against him.

Federer is adored for his artistry, his barely-suppressed emotion, his courageous fight against illness and injury to claim—just weeks ago—his most hard-won title.

He wows them on the court, he gives them his time off the court.

They stand in awe when he arrives and when he leaves.

If he makes a seventh consecutive final, the groundswell of support for him will be enormous. And if he should win, the tears will flow both from him and the crowd.

Haas has won the British public over with his back-story: The catalogue of injury and misfortune, the passion that kept him fighting, and his sheer talent.

Even if his thrilling all-round game was not enough, his game with one of Wimbledon’s own ball kids—after a premature end to his second round match—endeared him completely.

Roddick has always been a British favourite.

Fast and furious, hard-working and gritty, committed and witty, the crowd knows what it would mean to this man to eventually win Wimbledon. He has nothing to prove, but has thrown himself into new training, new diet, new coach, and with new purpose.

The British love a fighter! If it had been Hewitt at this stage, they would have cheered for him too.

So Murray has his work cut out, not only in his tennis but also in the crowd’s affections. They will, undeniably, roar him on towards the first British Wimbledon singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977.

However, there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house should one of the other worthy semi-finalists pip him to the post.

The semi-finals—and the championship—have indeed served up a thrilling drama. It has almost reached the long-predicted conclusion of King Federer versus the Crown Prince Murray.

But there could yet be an unexpected twist in the tale.