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Thursday, 5 July 2012

Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga Set For WIMBY SEMIS - SW19


Andy Murray will attempt to become the first British man to compete in a Wimbledon final for 74 years when he takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
Murray will contest his fourth straight semi-final after fighting from a set and a break down against David Ferrer.
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I'd be disappointed if I lost before the final in any tournament
The last Briton to reach the Wimbledon final was Bunny Austin in 1938, two years after Fred Perry's famous win.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will take on six-time winner Roger Federer in the first men's semi-final.
Fourth seed Murray, 25, has beaten France's Tsonga in five of their six previous meetings.
But Murray, who lost his last two Wimbledon semi-finals to Rafael Nadal,insists he is not underestimating the fifth seed, who came from two sets behind to beat Federer in the quarter-finals 12 months ago.
"Jo's a tough opponent," said Murray. "He's served very well so far. It's a very different match to playing against Rafa, but he's one of the best grass-court players in the world, that's for sure."
The British number one has beaten Nikolay Davydenko, Ivo Karlovic, Marcos Baghdatis, Marin Cilic and David Ferrer to reach the last four.
"When you start each tournament, you want to try to win," said Murray.
"Everyone kept telling me I had such a hard draw and how tough it was going to be to get through. I managed to do that. I've beaten some very good players.
"But I want it to continue. I'd be disappointed if I lost before the final in any tournament, but I don't just expect to get there. It's a very difficult thing to do. You need to make sure you perform properly."
The 27-year-old Tsonga, who beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the last four, said: "It's going to be a big fight for sure and I have to get ready. I will not be a player who most support but I will play my game, try to be good and see what happens. I know the crowd already like me here and I like them too."
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Only a perfect performance will be enough to beat Djokovic
Roger Federer
Serbia's Djokovic will try to put himself in position for a second Wimbledon title and sixth Grand Slam victory when he meets Federer in Friday's first semi-final on Centre Court at 13:00 BST.
But the 25-year-old world number one will need to be at his best in his first meeting on grass against the 16-time Grand Slam champion.
The 30-year-old Swiss is aiming for his eighth Wimbledon final, but his first since he beat Andy Roddick in 2009, the longest men's singles final in terms of games played.
"He has a variety, great variety, in his game," Djokovic said.
"He uses his serve very well. He opens up the court. He uses that slice really well to get the balls to bounce low. He's very aggressive at times. He can defend well.
"He has a really smart game for this surface. But I have improved playing on grass in the last couple of years.
"I mean, I won the title here last year and got to another semi-final this year."
Federer, ranked three, can reclaim the world number one ranking from Djokovic, while a seventh Wimbledon title would also take him level with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who reigned in the 1880s. He would also match Sampras's record of 286 weeks at the top of the rankings.
Federer, who won his last Grand Slam title in Australia in 2010, has beaten Djokovic in 14 of their 26 past meetings, but Djokovic has prevailed in six of the last seven, including the last three.
"Obviously it helps that he won the last couple against me," Federer said.
"It is our first grass-court match. We don't know quite what to expect. I feel it's a bit of an even ground. You would have to ask him. I feel good about the match. I'm excited.
"I've been playing well for a year now. I'm happy that going into the semis I'm not tired, I'm not injured, I'm not anything. I'm fresh and ready to go. That's how I want to feel before a semi."
He added: "You have to prepare yourself well in every department.
"Only a perfect performance will be enough to beat Djokovic."
Meanwhile, Jonathan Marray will be the first Briton to compete in the men's doubles semi-finals for 35 years as he and partner Frederik Nielsen face the United States' Bryan brothers for a place in the final.

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Federer has dominated for so long - for me it will be the ultimate challenge
Novak Djok

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