Wimbledon 2016: Friday London Schedule and Bracket Predictions

Andy Murray and Roger Federer will be the favourites when they take to Centre Court for their semi-final matches at Wimbledon 2016 on Friday. Murray will meet Tomas Berdych, while Federer is set to take on Milos Raonic.

Both Federer and Murray have had little time to rest after gruelling quarter-final matches, during which they were each pushed to a fifth set. Federer battled back from two sets down to beat Marin Cilic, while Murray almost blew a two-set lead against a game Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Here's the schedule for Friday, along with predictions for the bracket:

Date	Time (BST / ET)	Match	Court	Prediction
Friday, July 7	1 p.m. / 8 p.m.	(6) Milos Raonic vs. (3) Roger Federer	Centre	Federer
Friday, July 7	After 1 p.m. / 8 p.m.	(10) Tomas Berdych vs. (2) Andy Murray	Centre	Murray

Preview

It's all about how much soon-to-be-35-year-old Federer has left in the tank after his epic battle to overcome Cilic. ESPN's Greg Garber has noted how Federer "has become increasingly fragile, at times even brittle, despite reaching the final here the past two years."

Federer's conditioning will be key against Raonic, a younger, more powerful opponent. Standing 6'5", Garber credited Raonic with an "enormous wingspan," while also noting the Canadian has a "big serve and forehand."

"He has 114 aces for the fortnight, tied with John Isner, who lost in the third round, for most in the tournament," Garber added. 

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

A big serve-and-volley game is likely to send Federer scrambling across court, testing both the agility in his ageing legs, as well as the strength of his return game.

Still, the veteran remains one of the finest strategists in the game. Count on the Swiss finding a way to neutralise Raonic's core strengths and take the rising star out of his comfort zone.

Murray faces a similar task against the power of Berdych. They've had a long rivalry, one detailed by BBC Sport's Andy Burke and Frank Henry.

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

The pair also credit Berdych with a "powerful service game and ferocious forehand." Those qualities could trouble Murray, who struggled with the thunderous forehand and backhand shots Tsonga produced during his comeback to eventually earn a fifth set.

However, Murray has always been an all-rounder who is consistently solid in the return game. He can be trusted to manufacture enough shots to keep Berdych off his game.

In some ways, it's been a strange tournament for Murray. He received the massive boost of seeing World No. 1 Novak Djokovic eliminated early, only to nearly let sloppy play condemn him to the exit against Tsonga.

This looks like Murray's tournament to win, but if he's off-key again, Berdych will exploit any weaknesses.

Of the two semi-finals, Federer's looks the more interesting. It could represent a changing of the guard or one more reminder of Federer's enduring class.