Rafael Nadal almost looked apologetic as he whispered words of consolation into Andy Murray’s ear after he made sure on Friday that Britain’s wait for a men’s Wimbledon champion would roll into a 75th year, but moments earlier, the 2008 champion had played the role of dream wrecker to perfection as he roared into his fourth final at the All England Club by inflicting a painful 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 defeat on Murray.
After eyeing Murray’s lashed volley drop beyond the dusty baseline, Nadal collapsed on to his back and appeared as if he was celebrating winning a second title at the holy grail of tennis instead of merely booking a final with Tomas Berdych.
“I wished him best of luck for the rest of the season and sorry for today,” Nadal said of his net exchange with Murray. “I know it was an important match for him. I felt sorry for him because he’s a very nice person.”
PHOTO: AFP
The giant-killing run of Berdych, who sensationally ended Roger Federer’s pursuit of a seventh title in the quarters, showed no signs of slowing down after he dashed Novak Djokovic’s hopes of a maiden grass-court title with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win in the other semi-final.
“I think [for] every young kid who first time hits the ball, this is the dream to be in the final of any Grand Slam. If you can do it at Wimbledon, it’s amazing,” said Berdych, the first Czech man since Ivan Lendl in 1987 to reach the final. “It couldn’t get better.”
For Murray, things could not get much worse as he was again left to scratch his stubble and contemplate what might have been after losing in the semis for the second year running.
With the whole of Britain expecting Murray to become the first homegrown man to reach the final since Bunny Austin in 1938, even former England soccer captain David Beckham dropped in to Centre Court to see what all the fuss was about.
He was treated to a gripping contest featuring intense baseline rallies, thundering forehands and sumptuous volleys, but luck was not on Murray’s side as his hopes flat-lined thanks to a double-fault, a phone ring and a bouncing net-cord.
Locked at 4-4 in the first set, Murray’s first double-fault of the day allowed Nadal to get his foot in the door.
A whipped forehand winner followed by a Murray forehand error completed the break and left the Mallorcan leaping in celebration, while at the other end of the rectangle a disgusted Murray repeatedly punched himself, unable to believe the way in which he had surrendered his serve.
That was enough for Nadal to seal the set and the world No. 1 was fortunate to escape unscathed when he was 15-40 down in the eighth game of the second.
As Nadal launched into his serve, a phone started to ring out in the stands. Murray lost his focus and blasted the return into the net. Clearly annoyed, he turned around to try to spot the offending fan.
That missed opportunity continued to mess with his mind as he also blew the next break-point, allowing a pumped up Nadal to dig himself out of a hole and drag the set into a tiebreak.
Things went from bad to worse for Murray over the next few minutes.
First the Spaniard saved a set-point with a sizzling backhand winner and then Murray could only watch on in wide-eyed horror when a Nadal backhand pass rebounded off the net and bounced over the Scot’s racket frame.
Seconds later, Murray’s racket felt the full force of his frustration as he slammed it to the ground after Nadal had grabbed the two-set lead.
If Beckham thought his presence would bring out the best in Murray, he would have been sorely disappointed because the only time the Briton managed to break Nadal was when the soccer hero had ducked out of Centre Court at the start of the third set.
The roar that erupted in and around southwest London made Beckham hurry back to his seat, but he was too late as that proved to be Murray’s last hurrah.
Thirty-five minutes later a chorus of groans could be heard from Wimbledon to Murray’s hometown of Dunblane as he bowed out after 2 hours, 22 minutes, leaving Britain once again deflated after men’s semi-final day at Wimbledon.
Nadal must now overcome Berdych to regain the title he won in 2008 before his creaking knees kept him away last year.
The 24-year-old Berdych will have no recollection of the last time a Czech man made it to the showpiece match, as he was one when Lendl made it to the 1987 final, but on a hot and sticky afternoon he made sure of some memories of his own.
It was the kind of weather that makes people drowsy and third seed Djokovic appeared to sleepwalk through the first set. The Serb came alive at 6-5 down in the second set tiebreak, when following a 23-shot rally his lob was called out. After Hawk Eye confirmed it had in fact dropped in, Djokovic’s anger boiled over as he was asked to replay the point.
Hands on hips, he argued with the umpire to no effect. After saving five set-points, he gifted it 11-9 with a double-fault.
Djokovic flung his racket down to knock over his chair and then mockingly clapped the umpire when handed a code violation, but after being outhit, outfoxed and outplayed in the third, the Serbian simply conceded: “I did not deserve to win today, simple as that.”
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